Despite holding the riding of West Vancouver-Sea to Sky since 1991, BC United (formerly the BC Liberals) never got around to nominating a candidate to replace outgoing MLA Jordan Sturdy for the 2024 provincial election before it was scuttled — and a candidate that didn’t get the opportunity had some choice words to describe the actions of party leader Kevin Falcon.
Long-time party member, Bianca Peters was encouraged to run for the BC United nomination in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, but was rejected after a months-long process for reasons she challenged. The process gave her close insight into the party over the last few months.
A resident of the riding for most of her life and a member of the BC Liberals and now BC United since 1991, Peters said she was first encouraged to run after a meeting with Kevin Falcon over Bill 44, which is part of the NDP government’s housing legislation.
“I accepted the opportunity to put my name forth because I wanted to represent the voices of the West Vancouver- Sea to Sky riding’s concerns about density, infrastructure, our hospital, our highway, the removal of the [Squamish] spit, economic development. You name it,” she said.
“This is a riding that needs a smooth transition from the good job Jordan Sturdy has been doing in opposition in Victoria so we can move forward on the needs of the riding from the same song sheet in power.”
Despite a four-month-long candidate vetting process, Peters said she was rejected by the party because of their research into her background and the issue of Woodfibre LNG in Squamish—an issue she had been asked about as part of her campaign to run for District of Squamish council in 2018.
“I was ultimately rejected because their researcher discovered a podcast that suggested I was anti-WLNG. This came as quite a shock as I have been a committed advocate of the Floatel and the project to date. I felt that after being a card carrying member since 1991, their researchers would have had a better handle on their information. I was honestly flustered by the party’s response to me.”
Peters said that the party’s failure to select candidates in a timely manner was a sign of what she described as an ‘implosion’, and that the vetting process had made her more confident, not less, and it was a missed opportunity for the party.
“It was a very interesting self reflective exercise that only confirmed to myself that I had the experience and knowledge to represent the riding’s issues.”
Peters was not the only party member in the pipeline for BC United in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, with multiple names shared with Pique as prospective candidates, though none of them appeared to work out. Kevin Falcon told media that he expected to announce a candidate within 45 days of a March 7 interview, while Jordan Sturdy told Pique that someone was going through the vetting process as recently as August 13.
Despite the rejection, Peters remained a party member and had some thoughts on what had happened to the party since then.
“The party has been self-imploding ever since the name change,” she said, referring to the name-change proposed by Falcon during his run to lead the party in 2022.
“Kevin Falcon is not the leader we should have chosen. He has sacrificed the party for what? I would like to see BC United expel Falcon from the party and find a new leader for the party as soon as possible,” she said.
On the matter of Falcon encouraging party members to unite behind the BC Conservatives, Peters said she would do no such thing, standing her ground on the difference between the more centrist BC United and the party that came up on its right flank.
“We are not the Conservative Party. This feels like fascism and that is a very dangerous place to be.”
Asked about where her vote would go, Peters said she was without a home.
"I’m taken aback. I am still waiting for the dust to settle. I am currently party-less in a sea of politics."
Whatever happens behind closed doors, in a message to party members on August 30, Falcon again justified his move by saying it was necessary “to prevent another four years of disastrous NDP government.”
Falcon spent most of the email to the party faithful explaining that sacrificing BC United was about stopping the NDP.
“I know that the best thing for the future of our province is to defeat the NDP, but we cannot do that when the centre-right vote is split,” he wrote, before encouraging them to support the Conservatives.
Whether they fall in behind the Conservatives as intended is yet to be seen, with a mixed reaction so far from sitting BC United MLAs: Shirley Bond and Todd Stone have withdrawn their campaigns entirely, while already-outgoing MLA Karin Kirkpatrick has lambasted the decision on X, saying the decision has “left all of us middle-of-the-road centrist voters with no political home here in BC.”
Meanwhile, Premier David Eby and the NDP were quick to adjust their campaign to target the Conservatives and entice disaffected centrists to support them instead.
