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Candidates in the Okanagan are working out how to move forward after the BC United Party’s announcement that its campaign will be suspended. Some candidates are doubling down and staying the course, while others are unsure of what’s to come and open to new opportunities.

BC United leader Kevin Falcon made an announcement to suspend the party’s campaign yesterday, Aug. 28, without informing many of the party’s candidates and MLAs. Falcon has endorsed the BC Conservative Party and that has raised questions about each candidate’s future.

Former BC United West Kelowna-Peachland candidate and West Kelowna city councillor Stephen Johnston said the announcement took him by surprise.

“We had no idea this was happening, even the MLAs didn't know. The secrecy is understandable,” he said. “But it doesn't change the fact that as a candidate when you're blindsided like that, it hurts.”

Johnston said he still hadn’t heard anything from the party’s leadership as of 1 p.m. today, Aug. 29.

READ MORE: Opposition Leader Falcon ends BC United election campaign, backs BC Conservatives

“I keep checking my inbox thinking we are going to have a little bit of news, but there's been nothing today,” he said.

Johnston said the decision to merge the parties is the right one, but it would have been better if it happened months ago when the idea was proposed by Falcon and rejected by the Conservative leader John Rustad.

He thinks the plan is to pick the strongest candidates from BC United to run under the Conservative Party.

“It seems as though John Rustad and Kevin Falcon will be having conversations that look at bringing the best team together forward that they can,” he said.

Johnston said he would run under the Conservative banner if the opportunity arises.

He said although there are some balanced voices in the Conservative Party, it would help the party to bring in some more moderate candidates from BC United.

“There's a need to create a bigger tent there,” he said. “If they're not able to bring in some of our good quality candidates there'd be a level of discomfort with running with the Conservative Party as it is right now.”

Dr. Michael Humer was BC United candidate in Kelowna Centre and he said he would consider an opportunity to run for the Conservatives if it aligned with his political ideals.

“If my mission is still about trying to help healthcare get in the right direction and other issues such as affordability and public safety I'd consider any option that came forward if it helped achieve that,” he said.

While Humer and the other BC United candidates are weighing their options, he views this as a chance to take a beat.

“First thing is this is an opportunity to recharge and reset,” he said.

This may seem like an unprecedented move, to suspend a campaign shortly before an election, but Humer said BC has a history of successful coalition governments.

“I think that we have to remember that British Columbia, since 1941, has had coalitions in the centre, on the right,” he said. “We've had coalition large tent parties and it appears that the next version of that is going to be the BC Conservatives.” 

Humer said voters in his riding prioritized avoiding another four years under the NDP. Splitting the vote would increase the sitting government’s chances of reelection. 

“People were telling us ‘figure out a way not to elect a government that we don't want,’” he said. “To some degree this is politics.”

READ MORE: BC Conservatives remove Kelowna-Mission candidate

Kelowna city councillor and NDP candidate for Kelowna Centre Loyal Wooldridge said he plans on staying the course, but he was surprised by Falcon’s announcement.

“Last week, BC United was handing out tinfoil hats and criticizing the conspiracy theories of the BC Conservatives, and then this week, Kevin Falcon is endorsing them,” he said.

Wooldridge said he's still confident the NDP will win even though the Conservative vote will no longer be split between the two other parties.

“The right wing was concerned about the vote split and that's been very public,” he said. “There's been a pressure for them to merge and we know they've been sinking in the polls. So this was a political move.”

The NDP’s candidate for Kelowna-Mission Harpreet Badohal didn’t have much to say about Falcon’s announcement but he did say the news was concerning.

“I felt it was a sad day for democracy in British Columbia, the chaos, the confusion,” he said.

Several BC Conservative candidates did not respond to requests for comment.

Former Conservative candidate for Kelowna-Mission Alexandra Wright said the party’s policies are going to be negatively changed by progressive voices if BC United candidates run under the Conservative banner.

“I believe part of the reason I was kicked out of the party is because I voiced my concern that the Conservatives’ message was being diluted by bringing Liberals, or progressive Conservatives, into the party,” she said in a message. “Unfortunately, with this latest non-merger, it appears that BC United has finally, and successfully, completed its rebranding.”

Whether the BC Conservatives will change their candidates and policy direction to create a large tent coalition is yet to be confirmed, but voting is set for Oct. 19 regardless.

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