The leader of the Liberals of British Columbia says he will use his new seat in the legislature to look at the leaders of the NDP government “right in their eyes and ask difficult questions”.
Kevin Falcon won the by-elections in Vancouver-Kilchen on a landslide Saturday with 6,200 votes – more than twice the 2,590 ballots of his closest NDP candidate, Janet Ash, according to preliminary results.
Victory was expected at the Liberal Fortress, which was represented by two previous party leaders, Andrew Wilkinson and Gordon Campbell.
“Tonight we have received a wonderful message from Vancouver-Kilcena voters that it is time to end empty rhetoric, it is time for a government that achieves results,” Falcon told a crowd of supporters at the party’s headquarters in downtown Vancouver.
The former cabinet minister has not had the right to vote in the legislature since winning the party’s race for leadership in February.
He takes the seat left by former Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson, who won the ride in 2020 but resigned to make way for Falcon to sit in the legislature.
Falcon, 59, is returning to politics after leaving a decade ago to spend more time with his young family and working in the private sector with a Vancouver investment and real estate development firm.
He had a number of portfolios in the cabinet since he was first elected in 2001, including transport, healthcare, finance and a deputy prime minister. Falcon finished second in the 2011 race, losing to Christie Clark, who was prime minister until the party lost power in 2017.
Falcon said in an interview that he had heard concerns from voters about housing and fuel prices, as well as a lack of access to family doctors.
“We have people who are really struggling to make ends meet, and this government has done nothing but raise taxes, increase spending without achieving results,” he said.
Ash, a political scientist married to Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, congratulated Falcon on the victory. She said she was proud of the NDP’s campaign and its focus on Falcon’s records, which she said included working for the rich and well-connected.
Her campaign was not one of personal attacks, but a check of the former politician’s files, she said.
“His file was one of the deepest and most devastating cuts in healthcare, housing and education,” she said in an interview.
Green candidate Wendy Heiko with 10 percent, conservative Dallas Brody with seven percent and libertarian Sandra Philosopher-Shipper with one percent also fought for the seat.
The results of the BC election are not final, but Falcon said he expects to be in the legislature before the end of the current session.
His first job as an official opposition leader will be to address rhetoric gaps and promises on issues such as gas prices, housing costs, rents and taxes.
“I now have a seat in the legislature to hold the government accountable by looking them straight in the eye and asking them difficult questions, which I intend to do.
Liberal politicians in the past and present have said they look forward to seeing Falcon in the legislature.
Wilkinson, who failed to lead the party to victory in the 2020 election, said the “rear perspective is perfect” but would only offer advice or lessons learned if asked.
He described Falcon as a “very credible, very careful” candidate and said he fully supported the new leader.
Trevor Halford, MLA for Surrey-White Rock, said Shirley Bond has been a strong interim leader and looks forward to watching Falcon move to the official opposition leader.
“Kevin will ask some very direct and very difficult questions because he is a man who wants results. And we will be there to support them in that. “
Greens leader Sonia Furstenau said she hopes to continue working with the Liberal Group on common ground, such as the All-Party Health Commission to tackle the drug poisoning crisis.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on April 30, 2022.
Add Comment