Sunday, December 16 ~ VANCOUVER ISLAND.
~ by West Shore Voice News
As of this weekend, there are now three candidates ready to rumble in the upcoming by-election for the Nanaimo seat in the BC Legislative Assembly. None of them are new to politics.
Acclaimed as the BC NDP candidate, Sheila Malcolmson said: “I am so honoured to stand as your candidate to become an MLA in John Horgan’s government.”
Malcolmson is currently the federal Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, serving a first term in that role.
“This is the most important by-election in BC history,” said Malcomson. “After 16 years of BC Liberal choices that hurt people in Nanaimo and across BC, we’ve finally got a government that is working for people,” she told the crowd.
Malcolmson said her priorities as MLA would include action to make housing more affordable, protecting the coast from oil spills and pollution caused by abandoned vessels, and harbour-to-harbour foot passenger ferry service between Nanaimo and Vancouver.
The Nanaimo MLA seat opened following the October 20, 2018 municipal election in which former NDP MLA Leonard Krog won as Mayor of Nanaimo. Afterward, Premier John Horgan was quoted as saying: “We will ensure that there is a member from Nanaimo in the legislature to debate the budget in February.”
With most people now in the midst of Christmas season and winter holidays, the by-election is likely now to occur in January. It will be a 28-day campaign.
This weekend, BC Green Party members in Nanaimo chose Michele Ney — a teacher by career and one of 11 children of a former long-time Nanaimo mayor — as their candidate for the upcoming by-election to replace outgoing MLA Leonard Krog. Voting took place online for 24 hours and in-person at a nomination meeting on December 15.
“We’re going to hit the ground running. Folks in this riding are excited for the opportunity to vote for a BC,” said Ney.
Ney says the BC Green Party can push government in the right direction – supporting the emerging economy, building 21st-century transportation options, and investing in the next generation through education.
In November, Tony Harris was declared as the BC Liberal candidate. A sixth-generation Nanaimo resident, the businessman is son of the late Tom Harris who built business success in car dealerships and cell phone outlets.
Harris supporters feel his position is strong, given their coalition with the federal Liberals and federal Conservatives, and a high-profile candidate with history in the community.
The fate of Horgan’s NDP minority government hangs in the balance with the by-election. If the NDP loses the seat to the Liberals, the legislature would be tied at 43 votes between the Liberals and the NDP-Green power-sharing alliance. Speaker Darryl Plecas would need to break tie votes to decide on legislation, a situation that experts have said is untenable for the longterm and would likely result in an early election (ahead of 2021).
This election puts Vancouver Island NDP politics squarely in the public eye over the holiday season and leading up to the delivery of Budget 2019 in February.