A trio of former BC United MLAs is hoping to buck historical trends and spark a new wave of elected independents in the legislature.
Peace River North MLA Dan Danies, Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier and Kootenay-Rockies MLA Tom Shypitka all launched independent re-election campaigns this week, after the collapse of the BC United party.
“Nobody ever plans on being an independent, but this situation right now is unprecedented,” said Skypitka. “There’s never been a time in B.C. history where the opposition has essentially imploded.”
Being elected as an independent in B.C. is a difficult task. Prior to Vicki Huntington winning Delta South as an independent in 2009 — by 32 votes — British Columbians hadn’t voted to elect an MLA without a party affiliation since 1949. When Huntington won re-election in 2013, it was the first time an independent had been returned to office in the province’s history.
With the BC Conservatives and NDP now running neck-in-neck in the polls, the trio plan to pitch voters on the idea of sending to Victoria what could be the deciding votes in a stalled legislature.
“This election will be close in many aspects,” said Davies. “They are expecting a record number of independents running, which could very well become the power brokers in a legislature that is looking like it might be a minority government.”
The three are not the only ones to consider the move. Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes is mulling an independent bid, as is West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Karin Kirkpatrick.
“Absolutely we could hold the balance of power if we took four or five seats,” said Skyptika.
Candidates fundraising anew
They also have limited options. After Falcon suspended United’s campaign Aug. 28, without consultation, many MLAs and candidates were forced to either consider retirement or run on their own.
“I’m so disappointed in Kevin,” said Davies. “Kevin kept saying, ‘I’m falling on my sword.’ Well, yeah, but you stabbed us in the back before you did that.”
One result of the United implosion is that all incumbents and candidates lost the money they had spent months, if not years, fundraising to pay for their election campaigns.
“Kevin [Falcon] kept saying, ‘I’m falling on my sword.’ Well, yeah, but you stabbed us in the back before you did that.”
Dan Davies
“I had $60,000 that I raised, that people put their confidence in me,” said Davies. “It’s gone. I have zero access to it. Literally, they cut my knees out beneath me and it’s just unbelievable.”
Surprisingly, though, they each say they’ve had success going back to family, friends and donors to ask for more money because of the encouragement they now get to run for a seat in Victoria on their own terms, minus being told what to do from a political party.
“I’m on my way to being fully funded to run my campaign in three days,” said Bernier.
“People are coming up to me saying, you got screwed over, how can I donate?”
“I can tell you with 150 per cent certainty that I’ve got more supporters now than I did a week ago,” said Shypitka.
“I’ve got more supporters now than I did a week ago.”
Tom Shypitka
“It’s unbelievable. This afternoon in two hours there was $7,000 donated. Honestly I don’t even know how much I have right now because I haven’t had time to sit down and count it.”
Locals have come up to offer to host fundraisers, he said. His sign printer donated (in kind) stickers to help convert his BC United signs to independent. “I’ve got all the signs and more than enough money already.”
‘I’m not going to abandon my riding’
Bernier and Davies were not invited by BC Conservative leader John Rustad to join his party, despite a promise by Falcon that Rustad had agreed to merge the candidate lists and take those with the best shot at forming government.
The Conservatives feel their Peace River candidates have a good chance of winning the riding, regardless.
Skypitka, however, was offered the chance to move ridings to Columbia River-Revelstoke. Conservative officials say the party would have fully funded his campaign.
“I said that’s not going to happen, I’m not going to abandon my riding,” said Skypitka. He suggested the Conservatives move Kootenay-Rockies candidate Pete Davis over to Columbia River-Revelstoke, where he actually lives. The party refused. It now has to fight a tough battle against the incumbent, which could split the vote in the favour of the BC NDP.
Two weeks of political drama over the collapse of United, while stressful, has also resulted in clarity.
“I’ve learned more in seven days than in seven years, as far as the inside baseball of politics,” said Skypitka. “I can’t tell you how unbelievably clear I am right now. It’s refreshing… I have no baggage anymore.
“I had people say, ‘I was going to vote Conservative but now that you are running as an independent I’m going to vote for you.’ And I said, how the hell does that make sense? But most of these people said, ‘We hated Kevin Falcon more than we liked you. And we liked you a lot.’
“So what does that tell you about Kevin Falcon?”
In the two Peace River ridings, the race will be about who is the best conservative candidate — the one on the ballot for the actual BC Conservative party, or the incumbent with the history but without the party affiliation.
Davies described himself as a “progressive conservative” to differentiate himself from his opponent.
“At the end of the day, I trust the voters,” he said. “I owe it to them to decide who is going to represent them. They need a choice, because right now there is no choice here.”