On Sept. 21, Premier John Horgan announced that British Columbians would be heading to the polls a year ahead of the scheduled Oct. 2021 election.
Following a meeting with BC’s Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Janet Austin, Horgan announced that a snap election would be held in just over one month’s time, on Oct. 24, 2020.
“A few hours ago, I met with the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Janet Austin, and she has granted my request to dissolve the Legislative Assembly and the general election will be held in British Columbia on Saturday, October 24,” said Horgan at a press conference following the meeting.
At the press conference, Horgan fielded questions about why he had chosen this time to call an election, the very first in BC’s history to be held in a pandemic, and only the second to be held during a state of emergency, following the Second World War.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything, the people of British Columbia deserve a say in the direction of our recovery and the future of our province,” said Horgan.
“It’s never a bad idea to ask the people of British Columbia what they think and that’s what we’re going to be doing on Oct 24,” he continued, in response to a caller questioning whether he had any “moral or ethical concerns” about an election at this time.
Horgan said he believes “now is the time to have an election”, citing instability in government and the Legislative Assembly as his reason for sending British Columbians to the polls.
“We are not at the end of COVID-19 pandemic, we are at the beginning,” said Horgan.
“This pandemic will be with us for a year or more, and that’s why I believe we need to have an election now. We can either delay that decision and create uncertainty and instability over the next twelve months, more speculation, more talk about what might be, or we can do what I believe is always the right thing and ask British Columbians what they think. I believe the best way forward is to put the politics behind us.”
However, Horgan has faced backlash from those who have claimed it is only politics at play, even being accused of using the pandemic and snap election as an “opportunistic power grab”, including the recently elected leader of the Green Party, Sonia Furstenau.
“This is an irresponsible and unnecessary election that he’s posing,” said Furstenau.
“Whatever excuses he’s making up for it, let’s be clear this is him and his party putting their fortune ahead of British Columbians at a time when people are worried about their jobs, their financial security, their children and their health, and they don’t have the privilege that he has with an ongoing salary and a secure pension.”
Horgan remained firm in his explanation that the instability he referenced would affect the province’s recovery from COVID-19.
“We have twelve months remaining in the mandate of this government, but we have a four-year project or longer ahead of us,” explained Horgan.
“We have had, as you know, through the summer, some challenges with passing legislation, the stability that I believe we had over the course of our minority government is not as strong as it was when we began.”
Horgan claimed that two “significant pieces of legislation” during the summer session of the legislature were not brought forward because the Green caucus was not in support, and spoke of another instance where the Green caucus amended a financial bill without discussing it with the Minister of Finance or “anyone else”.
Furstenau, who was one of the three-member Green caucus that signed the Confidence and Supply Agreement with the NDP which allowed them to form a minority government in 2017, was in disagreement, saying that there had been cooperation from all parties, who had come together during the pandemic to pass $5 billion in provincial spending.
“John Horgan should not be calling an unnecessary election in the midst of a global pandemic,” Furstenau said at a news conference.
“It is astonishing to think of the Health Minister and the Education Minister not working with the Provincial Health Officer, but being on a campaign trail right now.”
Fraser-Nicola incumbent MLA Jackie Tegart echoed these sentiments.
“I personally feel it’s nothing more than a power grab during a very uncertain time in a health crisis,” said Tegart.
“Very disappointed that John Horgan would choose to do that when we’re all worried about making our bubble smaller, keeping our kids safe in schools, wondering about jobs, and what the economy will look like. To think that we’re going to have a dissolved government for at least four to five weeks, it just boggles the mind that he would choose this time to call an election.”
Premier Horgan maintains that the election can be done safely, with no adverse health effects or an increase in COVID-19 case numbers. He noted that New Brunswick had just held election which had a relatively high turnout of 66%, and that Saskatchewan and other jurisdictions around the world would soon be holding general elections in the midst of the pandemic.
“Like everything these days this election will be unlike any other, but I do believe it can be conducted safely,” said the Premier.
“Dr. Henry and Elections BC have worked very, very hard to make sure that British Columbians will not be putting themselves at risk, and just as we are going to work, just as we are going shopping for groceries, we can vote safely. There will be ample new opportunities through advanced voting as well as mail in ballots to ensure that people can participate in our democratic process from the comfort of their own home.”
