Not Steph

I know it’s unusual for me to be this quiet during a provincial election. I supported David Eby in the last election. But I’ve been deeply disappointed by his record as Premier and his performance throughout this campaign. Frankly, he’s given British Columbians very few reasons to re-elect him. I voted for him last time because there was no real alternative for Liberals, and I supported his government's pro-housing policies. The BC Conservatives, after all, were campaigning against Liberals as much as they were against New Democrats. The BC Conservatives look considerably more credible than they did just a few months ago. But I remain deeply concerned about how far to the right many of their MLAs are. There are still people in that caucus who clearly admired Donald Trump and his way of doing politics. One of my biggest concerns about a BC Conservative government is the possibility of a prolonged and entirely unnecessary confrontation with First Nations. That would be a terrible setback for reconciliation, economic development and the future of our province. We need to be building partnerships, not picking fights. If the Conservatives win, I hope they send an early signal that they intend to approach these relationships seriously and constructively, rather than through an ideological lens. Given the recent municipal election results, I also worry about a Conservative government picking a fight with the City of Vancouver, where I live. In particular, I worry about possible cuts to supportive housing that could leave even more people homeless. Vancouver has enough challenges without the provincial government making them worse. The Greens have become too radical, OneBC are racists, and Centre BC hasn't punched through. So I find myself dissatisfied with the choices before us. More than anything, I hope British Columbia will one day have a credible, centrist, Liberal-branded alternative that believes in economic growth, social progress and bringing people together. We certainly need one.