Then Kamloops-South Thompson NDP candidate Anna Thomas announcing her campaign ahead of the 2020 provincial election (Image credit: Mel Rothenburger/File).

By Aaron Schulze

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: What this province needs is another left-wing party

Mar 20, 2024 | 5:55 AM

WHEN BC CONSERVATIVE candidates Ward Stamer and Dennis Giesbrecht held their introductory news conference last weekend, the first question they were asked was if they felt they would split the free-enterprise vote between themselves and BC United.

Not at all, they replied. There are “significant differences” between the two parties, the Kamloops candidates said. Voters are looking for a change in government, and BC United isn’t the answer, they said.

Flash forward to this week and that theory has been blown up by an Angus Reid Institute poll that shows B.C. free-enterprise voters are, indeed, split almost evenly between the upstart Conservatives and BC United.

According to the poll, 43 per cent of B.C. voters support the NDP, while the Conservatives and BC United attract 22 per cent each. The right doesn’t get much more split than that.

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The situation harkens back to the old days of B.C. politics when the New Democrats enjoyed the advantage of a split on the right side of the political spectrum. When the Liberals and Conservatives both crumbled, Social Credit was able to dominate the CCF/NDP.

The same thing happened later when the Liberals took over from the failing Socreds and Conservatives remained weak. The NDP is in government today because voters grew tired of the BC Liberals and had no other credible place to park their votes on the righthand side.

But now that the Conservatives are back with some apparent strength, the NDP must be feeling confident about its prospects come October. Maybe BC United and the Conservatives will be able to clarify their “significant differences” between now and then, and one will succeed in drawing from the other.

Years ago, though, I used to joke that the smartest thing the right-wing parties could do would be to form another leftist party to split the NDP’s vote. Another strong left-wing party might be the only way the NDP could be defeated right now.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.