Wednesday October 16, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC [Updated October 17, 2024]
BC ELECTION CAMPAIGN DAY 26 of 28
Political analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Your 28-day voter’s guide for BC Election 2024
After three earlier stops further up Vancouver Island today (Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Duncan), BC NDP Leader David Eby arrived on his campaign bus to park on Cook Street in the Fairfield neighourhood of Victoria, deep within the downtown riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill.
Off the bus and into a local seniors community centre, Eby headlined a BC NDP rally attended by about enthusiastic 250 supporters including several other BC NDP candidates and a few former MLAs, volunteers, staffers and their families.
The rally was to further invigorate the BC NDP campaign of candidate Grace Lore in Victoria-Beacon Hill.
“We are in an election campaign and there are three days left,” said Eby this evening in his speech to a welcoming crowd. “This is one of the most consequential elections in a generation when it comes to the direction of the province of British Columbia,” said Eby, getting down to business.
Supporting and protecting people are the key responsibilities of government and building the province for future generations, he said.
“It’s also consequential because people are hurting out there,” said Eby.”There are people who are struggling right now,” he said, reiterating his common thread about the cost of living and the impact of things like central bank interest rates and global inflation.
Importance of Victoria-Beacon Hill:
Victoria-Beacon Hill is a significant riding in many ways in this 2024 provincial campaign. Lore and the rest of the BC political world found out in February of this year that BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau was relocating to the riding and from the start expressed her intentions to win Victoria-Beacon Hill in the October 19, 2024 election.
That essentially put Grace Lore on notice.
Victoria-Beacon Hill has been the beating heart of the BC NDP in the south Vancouver Island area, being held for 15 years by former BC NDP Party Leader Carole James (2005 to 2020) who eventually served as Deputy Premier and Finance Minister under then Premier John Horgan. Other than one term (2001-2005) held by a BC Liberal candidate, Victoria-Beacon Hill had also been deep orange for 10 years previous to that (Grechen Brewin was the BC NDP MLA from 1991-2001).
Lore took on the toughest file:
Only in her first term (elected 2020), Lore has already been a cabinet minister — handling the tough Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) portfolio this year. Before that she was the Minister of State for Child Care and Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity.
Eby said tonight that Lore did not hesitate to take on the MCFD file when asked on short notice. “It’s the most challenging file in government. The content is kids and their safety and their well-being, and the history is devastating. And the present isn’t often much better,” said Eby.
“I called Grace, and said I need your help on this file, will you step up?”, said Eby about giving Lore the toughest file in cabinet. “She said it would be an honour to take on that file.”
In a short period of time Lore has “set course for us to correct so much of what has gone wrong with vulnerable kids in our province, and she has led the way in a way that we have never seen before… the transformation of that ministry in a way that supports families and protects kids and holds up Indigenous people to support their own kids,” said Eby. He expressed genuine gratitude for her work in that portfolio, to much crowd applause.
Lore on door knocking:
Last night BC NDP candidate Grace Lore told Island Social Trends that sh’e been door knocking since March.
Her support comes from people who are concerned that if the government flipped to BC Conservative that there would be a loss of traction in building more homes, and that the BC Conservatives would bring in two-tier health-care.
People also want “strong community services… that’s what I’m hearing at the door”, said Lore after the formal speeches.
Who was there:
Tonight the room was heavily populated with MLAs who are also running campaigns in the south Vancouver Island area including Lana Popham (Saanich South), Diana Gibson (Oak Bay-Gordon Head), Ravi Parmar (Langford-Highlands), Sarah Riddell (Saanich North and the Islands), Darlene Rotchford (Esquimalt-Colwood), and Nina Krieger (Victoria-Swan Lake).
Prominent now-former MLAs who are not seeking re-election were there including Rob Fleming and Murray Rankin.
Federal MP for Victoria Laurel Collins was there for the rally, cheering along with provincial NDP folks.
Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC) board chair Zac de Vries attended in the crowd (he is a District of Saanich municipal councillor).
Election hight:
The last of six days of advance voting was today (polls closed at 8 pm).
The 43rd general provincial election is on Saturday October 19, 2024. Voting places will be open 8 am to 8 pm.
On election night Grace Lore will be at her community office for a short while and then at a broader BC NDP celebration downtown in the evening.
===== RELATED:
- Election Night Results – link to come
- BC Election 2024: advance voting on now for six days (October 10, 2024)
- Six days of advance voting in BC Election 2024 (October 3, 2024)
- NEWS SECTIONS: POLITICS | VANCOUVER ISLAND | BC ELECTION 2024