Stewart expects a battle to regain seat
Ruling NDP-Green coalition poses extra challenge, says former Liberal MLA
A sense of familiarity would seem to favour Ben Stewart as he campaigns for the Liberals in Kelowna West during the upcoming provincial byelection.
But Stewart, who represented the riding from 2009 to 2013 after two comfortable election victories, isn’t counting on name recognition and past achievements for success this time around.
“Every election is its own test, and I feel more challenged in this byelection than ever because of the change in government and the NDP-Green coalition,” Stewart said Sunday.
Supporters of the NDP and Greens will be encouraging voters to elect a candidate that can represent the area in government, rather than one who sits on the Opposition benches, Stewart acknowledged.
To counter that argument, Stewart said he would champion what he described as the former Liberal government’s record of successes — both provincially and locally — during their time in power.
“Through 16 years, our government provided very good and strong leadership for B.C.,” Stewart said, noting the province has Canada’s strongest economy. “We didn’t get everything right, but I certainly believe we got more right than wrong.”
Locally, the Liberals invested heavily in Kelowna General Hospital, UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College, built a new bridge across Okanagan Lake and improved other sections of Highway 97, Stewart said.
The former Liberal government also provided tens of millions of dollars for a major water treatment facility in West Kelowna, accelerating the project by several years.
Stewart was born and raised in West Kelowna, and his family owns Quails’ Gate Winery and has various land development interests.
Since the NDP took power last summer, Stewart said, he’s been particularly dismayed by a hike in the corporate tax rate and the government’s move away from the revenue-neutral aspect of the carbon tax, using some of the funds for general purposes.
“The Liberals balanced the budget and showed we could live within our means, providing services while also creating a positive environment for business,” Stewart said.
“Already, I’ve heard from people in the business community that they’re concerned about the direction the province is taking under the NDP, and that might affect their willingness to invest here,” Stewart said.
Premier John Horgan, whose NDP government, with the support of the Greens, has a two-seat majority in the legislature, has delayed until the last possible legal moment to call the Kelowna West byelection. The call must be made this week.
Stewart says the delay has cost the people of Kelowna West not only a voice in Victoria, but also a local champion to help them with regulatory and bureaucratic problems they may be experiencing with the government.
Mostly, he says, the delay was probably to have been expected after former Liberal premier Christy Clark quit politics in late July:
“I think there’s a certain amount of spitefulness that goes on in situations like this.”