British Columbia害羞草研究所檚 election is four months away, but Premier David Eby staged a campaign event Thursday in Vancouver ahead of what he says is a personal count down 害羞草研究所� next week害羞草研究所檚 expected birth of his family害羞草研究所檚 third child.
Eby said he and his wife, Cailey, are expecting a daughter on June 27, so he wanted to make an early start to campaigning for the Oct. 19 election by introducing four New Democrat candidates before taking a break to spend some time with his family.
He said Oct. 19 is B.C.害羞草研究所檚 fixed election date and June 27 is his family害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渇ixed date baby.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淪o, some of you know what that害羞草研究所檚 a reference to,害羞草研究所� said Eby. 害羞草研究所淪o, we害羞草研究所檙e expecting a beautiful baby girl. I am taking a bit of time with the family, but these candidates are going to be out there knocking on doors out in the community.害羞草研究所�
Eby introduced four New Democrat candidates, former broadcaster Randene Neill, Baltej Dhillon, the first RCMP officer to wear a turban on duty, Indigenous leader Michael Moses and Vancouver community support advocate Sunita Dhir.
Eby害羞草研究所檚 early campaign start comes amid open battling between B.C.害羞草研究所檚 two right-of-centre parties, Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon害羞草研究所檚 BC United and John Rustad害羞草研究所檚 upstart B.C. Conservatives.
Falcon said the party has been stung recently by the loss of caucus members and candidates to Rustad害羞草研究所檚 Conservatives. But these things happen in politics, he said, citing the NDP害羞草研究所檚 loss of former elected members Selina Robinson and Adam Walker.
害羞草研究所淵es, we害羞草研究所檝e lost candidates and MLAs, too,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭his kind of thing, unfortunately happens. But when the election rolls around, the public looks around.害羞草研究所�
Chris Moore, a business leader and former District of Sechelt councillor, announced Wednesday he will no longer represent BC United in the October election in the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding and will instead run as a candidate for Rustad害羞草研究所檚 Conservatives.
Former BC United MLAs Elenore Sturko and Lorne Doerkson recently crossed the floor and said they害羞草研究所檒l seek re-election as Conservatives.
Prof. David Black, a political communications expert at Greater Victoria害羞草研究所檚 Royal Roads University, said the 害羞草研究所渆xtraordinary害羞草研究所� events unfolding between the Conservatives and BC United parties has heightened public awareness about the coming election.
People usually tune out politics during the summer months, but the feuding between BC United and the Conservatives is keeping the public害羞草研究所檚 attention on the distant election, said Black.
害羞草研究所淭he structural realignment we are seeing on the right, I would argue, is bringing British Columbians, making them more attentive to an imminent election in B.C. than might otherwise be the case,害羞草研究所� Black said.
害羞草研究所淧eople are a little more aware of what害羞草研究所檚 going on, aware of a fall election because of just all the political news, with defections and remarkably candidates nominated for one party saying, 害羞草研究所業害羞草研究所檓 going to run for the other party.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
B.C.害羞草研究所檚 fixed election date law puts governments in permanent campaign mode, which is underway in B.C., he said.
The province was the first in Canada to hold a fixed election date in 2005.
害羞草研究所淕iven the machinations on the centre-right now and that we are four to five months away from an election, it stands to reason that the B.C. NDP is campaigning,害羞草研究所� Black said. 害羞草研究所淚 would argue the B.C. NDP campaign began well over a year ago.害羞草研究所�
Eby told the campaign crowd his government is making progress on health, housing and the economy and he wants that to continue.
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