Thursday October 17, 2024 | LANGFORD, BC
BC ELECTION CAMPAIGN DAY 27 of 28
Political analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Your 28-day voter’s guide for BC Election 2024
BC NDP Langford-Highlands candidate Ravi Parmar was at Grace Lore’s rally in Victoria-Beacon Hill on Wednesday evening, October 16.
With only three days left in the 2024 BC election campaign, Island Social Trends asked Parmar (who is the incumbent candidate in Langford-Highlands, having been the MLA from June 2023 to September 2024) whether the Langford business community might be providing momentum behind the BC Conservative candidate Mike Harris.
“Langford is a diverse community, a beautiful community that I’ve called home for most of my life,” said Parmar.
“For Mike Harris, he’s got a question to ask himself — with the diversity we’re seeing in that community is he going to allow a candidate in his own political party like Brent Chapman (BC Conservative candidate in Surrey South) — as a caucus colleague,” said Parmar.
“To have someone who has referred to Muslim people as in-breds. Does someone to make a comment that Sandy Hook and these horrific incidents didn’t happen, is that what he stands by. I think it makes it very crystal clear. People of Langford-Highlands are going to see right through that. I find that very concerning,” said Parmar in an interview after Lore’s rousing rally headlined by Premier David Eby.
Would those sorts of candidates on the far right get elected? “We’ll find out on Saturday. But if you’ve got a guy that believes a blow dryer up your nose eliminates COVID, I hope the voters of British Columbia send those candidates a message,” said Parmar.
Cautious voters:
Parmar says he recently met a Sooke-area voter who usually votes BC Green, but who will be voting BC NDP for the first time so as not to split the vote.
“She’s afraid of a BC Conservative government. She believes we can do more on the environment and that we’ll hold Dana (i.e. Dana Lajeunesse, the Juan de Fuca-Malahat BC NDP candidate) accountable but she can’t risk a Rustad government,” said Parmar.
“I come across that a lot in Langford-Highlands. A lot of people are getting out and voting who maybe weren’t going to vote, because too much is on the line,” said Parmar.
Vote splitting:
This has to do with so-called vote-splitting. If people who vote ‘progressive’ (i.e. not right or center-right) choose BC Green in this election they may end up diverting enough votes from BC NDP candidates and thereby end of allowing BC Conservative candidates to win on October 19.
The BC Green stance is that people should vote for who can represent them best in the BC Legislature. But even the BC Greens would likely feel more productive with a BC NDP majority (or strong minority) than a BC Conservative government (which would like operate with a similar free enterprise tone and style to the BC Liberals during 2001-2016).
Voting day is October 19:
Saturday October 19 is the 43rd BC general election day.
Voting stations are open 8 am to 8 pm in all 93 electoral areas across BC.
In Langford-Highlands there are three candidates on the ballot, listed in alphabetical order: Erin Cassels (BC Green), Mike Harris (BC Conservative), and Ravi Parmar (BC NDP).
About Parmar:
Ravi Parmar served as a trustee with the SD62 Sooke School District for nearly 10 years (elected 2014, re-elected 2018 and 2022), including six years as board chair.
He won the June 2023 by-election in Langford-Highlands to become MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca (John Horgan’s former riding).
In 2024 under Premier David Eby, Parmar has been the Parliamentary Secretary for International Credentials (within the Ministry of Education and Child Care).
===== RELATED:
- Election Night Results – link to come
- Campaign boost by David Eby for Grace Lore in Victoria-Beacon Hill (October 16, 2024)
- Dana Lajeunesse hopes to follow in John Horgan’s local footsteps (October 12, 2024)
- 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)
- BC NDP candidate Ravi Parmar on the Langford-Highlands campaign trail (September 29, 2024)
- NEWS SECTIONS: POLITICS | LANGFORD | VANCOUVER ISLAND | BC ELECTION 2024