NCC President Peter Coleman: 'Premier Eby Steps in It with Unnecessary Election Call'
I had a sense of déjà vu watching Premier Eby announce his entirely cynical election call Tuesday with two years remaining on his mandate. His reasoning was that the "bad man" Trump had to be defeated for the benefit of the great province of British Columbia, and that he was the man who needed a new mandate to lead the charge.
In the summer of 1990, then-Ontario Premier David Peterson called a snap election for the sole reason of securing a new four-year term, even though he also had a couple of years left in his mandate. He was completely unable to answer the key question of why he needed an early election, and his campaign was a disaster. It resulted in an even bigger mess for Ontario when NDP leader Bob Rae became Premier.
Premier Eby had no answer Tuesday when he called the election, nor did he have one yesterday, as to why this election is anything more than a power grab timed to exploit what he anticipated would be an opposition party in a total state of disarray.
However, the B.C. Conservative Party has done a remarkable job of rallying quickly and showing a united front to fight Eby. The new leader, Lorne Doerkson, whom I admit I do not know well, struck just the right tone at his initial press conference. He projects a level of humanity and competence that I think will appeal to a lot of people who are fed up with Premier Eby and a decade of NDP incompetence.
The reason why this election matters to me is that this campaign has incredibly significant national implications. A B.C. Conservative Party win would undoubtedly result in significant progress in critical provincial portfolios that have been utterly bungled by the NDP—most notably the compounding crises in healthcare accessibility, the erosion of our public education system, and years of fiscal mismanagement that have driven up the cost of living.
For me and many others, electing a pro-business party that will responsibly develop our incredible natural resources while protecting the environment will bring astounding benefits to B.C. and all of Canada. The wealth that can be created here, driven by major projects finally being built, will be a very welcome change from ten years of former PM Trudeau's anti-development platform—a destructive stance that was closely mirrored by the disastrous policies of Premier Eby.
Canada is at another crucial tipping point that can ultimately be a tremendous positive for B.C. and the entire country. Time is of the essence. We urgently need your financial support to seize this moment.
Please note that only B.C. residents who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents are legally permitted to contribute financially to this provincial campaign. For our supporters inside B.C., your maximum allowable donation will directly fuel our targeted social media campaigns, ensuring the issues that truly matter to families and businesses are kept front and centre—not the bogus reasons Premier Eby used to justify this unnecessary election.
For our supporters across the rest of Canada who cannot donate to this specific campaign, we need you to help us spread the word, share our message online, and talk to your friends and family living in B.C.
Let's make this happen. With your much-needed support today, we can make Premier Eby pay in the best way possible: he loses his job, and his party is sent into the opposition wilderness for a very long time.
We can do this, together.
Peter Coleman
President, National Citizens Coalition