Premier John Horgan is expected to send British Columbian voters to the polls in late October after meeting with lieutenant governor Janet Austin. (BC Government)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

SNAP ELECTION

NDP government triggers fall election one year early

Sep 21, 2020 | 10:09 AM

NANAIMO — British Columbian’s are heading back to the polls one year earlier than anticipated.

Premier John Horgan has called a snap election for Oct. 24 after visiting with the lieutenant governor Janet Austin Monday morning. He said the COVID-19 pandemic had created unprecedented times.

“This pandemic will be with us for a year or more and that’s why I believe we need to have an election now,” Horgan said. “We can either delay that decision and create uncertainty and instability over the next 12 months…or we can do what I believe is always the right thing and ask British Columbians what they think.”

Horgan said spending the next 12 months on speculation over an election would be “time wasted” instead of focusing on pressing matters, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

New opportunities through advanced voting and a focus on mail-in ballots will help assure a safe election process according to Horgan.

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With the legislature dissolved, governmental responsibility for handling the COVID-19 pandemic will fall to outgoing deputy premier Carole James until a new minister is appointed.

The October vote will mark another return to the ballot box for Nanaimo residents.

Nanaimo’s last visit to the polls for a provincial vote was the January 2019 by-election. Sheila Malcolmson claimed the seat for the NDP with 49.88 per cent of the vote. Tony Harris of the BC Liberals earned 39.9 per cent.

In the 2017 provincial election, the NDP’s Doug Routley won Nanaimo-North Cowichan with 46.89 per cent of the ballot. The Liberals’ Alana DeLong narrowly beat out Lia Marie Constance from the Greens for second.

Parksville-Qualicum was won by the Liberals in 2017 as Michelle Stilwell claimed 45.13 per cent of ballots cast, ahead of Sue Powell of the NDP.

The region has also had a municipal election and both a federal vote and by-election in the last two years.

Speculation of a fall election mounted for weeks as funding and program announcements increased from the province. Nearly two dozen press releases were sent out by the NDP government over the weekend.

Several high profile NDP cabinet ministers had also said publically in recent weeks they would not seek re-election including transportation minister Claire Trevena, mental health and addictions minister Judy Darcy and indigenous relations minister Scott Fraser.

Doug Donaldson, Michelle Mungall, Shane Simpson and Carole James have also said they would not seek another term.

Horgan had led a minority government with the support of the BC Green party, which is under the new leadership of Cowichan Valley MLA Sonia Furstenau.

New Brunswick was the first province to hold an election since the start of the pandemic, with Saskatchewan set to hold a vote by Oct. 26 and a federal election also possible following Wednesday’s throne speech.

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