New Westminster isn’t as NDP as many people think.
B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver was in town last weekend door knocking with New West candidate Jonina Campbell, and he predicts she’ll beat incumbent NDP MLA Judy Darcy when voters go to the polls in May.
“Without any doubt,” he said when asked if Campbell would win. “You have one of the worst voter turnouts in the province at around 50 per cent. One in two voters stay home, they don’t bother to vote because they don’t see their vote mattering. They give up because they think this is a strong NDP town. What it is - it’s not a strong NDP town - it’s a strong disenfranchised voter town.”
In all but one provincial election since 1952, New Westminster voters have elected an NDP (or its CCF predecessor) Member of the Legislative Assembly.
Weaver told the Record that Darcy got 48 per cent of the vote in 2013, compared to the Liberal’s 33 per cent and the Green’s eight per cent.
“You had 58 per cent voter turnout. When I ran in Oak Bay-Gordon Head, the voter turnout was 70 per cent. It was the highest in the province. We brought out a ton of people. When you look at this, Judy got 48 per cent of 58 per cent. Judy Darcy won, in what everyone thinks is an NDP city, with only 29 per cent of registered voters voting for her,” he said. “Only 29 per cent of people registered to vote in the riding actually voted for Judy. When we think of it as an NDP town, what we are saying is a lot of people don’t vote because they think of it as an NDP town.”
According to Weaver, Campbell is a candidate who inspires people who normally stay home to come out and vote on election day. Weaver, who became the Green Party of B.C.’s first MLA in 2013, said British Columbians are “fed up” and want change.
“We are running to govern this election,” he said of the Greens. “We are not running to finish third place or fourth or be a social conscience. We have exceptional candidates. We are willing to accept as many seats as the voters give us.”
While some may question whether that’s feasible, Weaver cited election wins in a number of jurisdictions, including the Yukon and Alberta, as well as the most recent federal election in Canada and the United States presidential election, as indicators of people wanting change.
“People are so fed up,” he said. “They look at the corporate cronyism of the B.C. Liberals and they are just fed up. They look to the NDP and say, ‘You have had 16 years.’ They were basically given the last election on a silver platter and they blew it because they were too afraid to take a stand. They want to be all things to all people all the time and so they lack principle and a shared vision.”
As an example of the growing support in British Columbia for the Greens, Weaver said the party was able to raise about $100,000 a years before he was elected. In December 2016 alone, the party raised a quarter-of-a-million dollars in one month. He said every penny was from individuals because the party doesn’t accept union or corporate donations.
New Westminster incumbent NDP MLA Judy Darcy said she wouldn’t comment on Weaver’s prediction about the election outcome.
“I have worked 24/7 as the MLA for New Westminster for the past four years and I hear an awful lot on the doorstep of recognition of that good work,” she said. “In addition to that, what I hear people saying is we can’t afford four more years of Christy Clark. And at the end of the day I think it’s your record as an MLA and it’s the record of this Liberal government that is going to determine the outcome. I don’t make any predictions. I work tirelessly morning, noon and night for the people of New Westminster. We will know on May 9.”
Darcy agrees that British Columbians want a change in the provincial government, but believes the NDP is the better choice. She said New Democrats have fought on British Columbians’ behalf on issues like MSP rates, health care, vulnerable youth in care, seniors’ care and good-paying, family-supporting jobs
“I hear very strong support for the NDP and I hear support that is getting stronger all the time,” she said.
Campbell has served as a school trustee in New Westminster since 2011, giving her a higher profile than past Green Party of B.C. candidates.
Darcy said she’s focusing on issues that matter to New West residents and British Columbians, not her competition on the ballot box.
“I am focused most on what matters to people in New Westminster. I am focused on advocating for more affordable housing, for better access to seniors care and child care, organizing forums and round tables to talk to people in the community about the issues that matter most to them. That is what I am focused on.
