Saturday May 27, 2023 | LANGFORD, BC [Updated June 16, 2023]
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
Premier David Eby has announced the date for the by-elections in Langford-Juan de Fuca (on the west shore of the Greater Victoria area on South Vancouver Island) and Vancouver-Mount Pleasant (which includes Vancouver’s Downtown East Side and Chinatown).
The voting day for the by-elections will be Saturday June 24, 2023 (advance voting June 16-21, 8 am to 8 pm). The official campaign period is 29 days. Anyone who is age 18 years or old on June 24, 2023 may vote (Canadian citizens and resident of BC since December 23, 2022). Nominations close at 1 pm on June 3.
Premier today:
Premier David Eby will be taking media questions today at Vancouver International Airport at 1:45 pm, ahead of departing for a trade mission to the Indo-Pacific region, accompanied by Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Brenda Bailey, and team.
He addressed BC NDP members in Richmond earlier today.
Reason for the by-elections:
The MLA seats in both those ridings became vacant when the previous MLAs resigned (John Horgan had held Langford-Juan de Fuca since 2005 and Melanie Mark was first elected in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant in 2016).
Presently the BC NDP have 55 seats in the BC Legislative Assembly, BC United has 27, and BC Greens have two, and one seat is filled as Independent. The Premier obviously wants to have the two vacant seats filled ahead of the Fall Session which starts October 3.
Impacts of possible outcomes:
BC Green Leader Sonia Furstenau said today: “The results of these by-elections will not change who is in government, but they will determine who effectively represents you in the legislature, and they can multiply the impact of the B.C. Greens in this province.” Presently the Greens have two seats — Furstenau and Adam Olsen (Saanich North and the Islands), so if Currie wins in Langford-Juan de Fuca that would strengthen their bench to three, and if Wendy Hayko wins in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant that would double the Greens to four in the Legislative Assembly.
If the BC NDP bring in two new MLAs into the legislature it will send a political signal about the strength and support for the current NDP government under Premier Eby, riding on the momentum built by Horgan in his years as Premier (and even before that). Filling the NDP gaps, as it were, would demonstrate the successful work of a well-organized government-level team beyond the local campaign organizations. It would justify to the BC cabinet that they are taking things in the right direction in terms of policy.
If the BC United candidates win in either of the two by-election races it would indicate some attention having been paid to party leader Kevin Falcon’s messaging about public safety in recent weeks. But more than that, it would possibly embolden the folks of the previous BC Liberal brand and provide political fodder against the NDP for months.
If either BC Conservative candidate wins (Mike Harris in Langford-Juan de Fuca or Karin Litzcke in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant) that would for the most part surprise the NDP thinkers, because it would mean there is a significant groundswell of frustrated folks in BC who feel unattended to.
Premier in Langford:
Premier Eby was in Langford earlier this week, helping local BC NDP candidate Ravi Parmar rub elbows in the downtown core retail area.
Campaign offices in Langford:
- The BC Greens opened their campaign office in Langford for candidate Camille Currie on May 15 at 734 Goldstream Avenue, joined by party leader Sonia Furstenau (who returns to Langford for more campaigning today Saturday May 27).
- The BC NDP will open their office for candidate Ravi Parmar tomorrow (Sunday May 28) at 3100 Jacklin Rd. Premier David Eby visited Langford on May 25.
===== ADVERTISERS:
Campaigns that wish to advertise during the by-election in Langford-Juan de Fuca are urged to contact Island Social Trends for prompt ad placement. Email: advertising@islandsocialtrends.com | Tel: 250-217-5821
===== BY-ELECTIONS NEWS ARCHIVE:
Follow news of the 2023 BC BY-ELECTIONS in ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS.
===== RELATED:
- Premier Eby expected to call by-election on May 27 (May 26, 2023)
- Eby calling by-election shortly, Parmar expects tight race in Langford-Juan de Fuca (May 25, 2023)
- Upcoming by-elections are critically important for voters, says Eby (May 24, 2023)
- Langford-Juan de Fuca by-election candidates at Luxton Spring Fair (May 20, 2023)
- Strategies for Langford-Juan de Fuca by-election timing (May 16, 2023)
- Passing the BC NDP torch in Langford-Juan de Fuca (May 14, 2023)
- Three provincial electoral areas for west shore (April 18, 2023)
- BC Greens launch their Langford-Juan de Fuca candidate (April 6, 2023)
- John Horgan wraps up 18 years in BC elected politics (February 9, 2023)
- Decoupling of Langford and Sooke in proposed new BC electoral boundaries (Nov 22, 2022)
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends has been covering politics, business, education and communities through a socioeconomic lens since 2008 on south Vancouver Island (previously as West Shore Voice News, and before that both Sooke Voice News and MapleLine Magazine).
Island Social Trends posts news daily at islandsocialtrends.ca (2020-2023). A new bi-weekly print edition will launch in mid-July 2023, with the online news portal continuing robustly.
Mary P Brooke is the editor and publisher of Island Social Trends. Ms Brooke followed and wrote extensively about the COVID pandemic during 2020-2022, and continues to follow that topic as new developments arise. She has covered news of Sooke School District 62 (SD62) in-depth since 2014 and BC education more broadly for over 10 years. In the west shore she also reports on West Shore Parks and Recreation.
Ms Brooke now reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery. She is actively covering the by-election in Langford-Juan de Fuca. | BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE
Among other qualifications, Ms Brooke holds a health sciences B.Sc. (Foods & Nutrition), a university Certificate in Public Relations, and an industry certificate in digital marketing. She was awarded the McGeachy Prize in Journalism (University of Saskatchewan). Mary Brooke is building a FOOD RESILIENCE NEWS ARCHIVE.