Early vote call will be questioned, pundits suggest

The B.C. NDP's success during the upcoming provincial election will have a lot to do with how well B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan explains why he decided to send voters to the polls in the midst of a global pandemic, according to pundits.

Horgan called the election on Monday morning, with the general voting day set for Oct. 24.

He told reporters that he struggled with the idea of having the election one year early, but felt it was necessary so he could attempt to secure a mandate that does not require co-operation with the B.C. Greens.

Three political specialists discussed the election during a panel at the Union of B.C. Municipalities' virtual convention on Tuesday.

“One of the challenges, I think, is going to be why are we having this election, and how much B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan is able to make that case over the course of the next several days, I think, will determine a lot,” said Maria Dobrinskaya, B.C. director of the Broadbent Institute and a former NDP strategist.

Dobrinskaya said if he can get past that question, the NDP's biggest strength is its record from the last three years. On the other side, the B.C. Liberals don't appear ready for an election and Andrew Wilkinson never found his stride as the Opposition leader, she said.

Dobrinskaya said the B.C. Greens are catching up from a leadership race that replaced Andrew Weaver with Sonia Furstenau, but one of the party's strengths is that we are in a climate emergency and they have credibility on that file.

Caroline Elliott, a political commentator and former B.C. Liberal ministerial aide, said it will be a challenging campaign because COVID-19 cases are climbing in B.C.

“There's a lot of things on people's minds right now and I think the last thing people want to be worried about is who's going to be running government,” she said.

“We had something that was working pretty well during this pandemic and it's being put aside because, frankly, John Horgan and the NDP see an opportunity for themselves based on high opinion polls.”

— FRANCIS GEORGIAN Maria Dobrinskaya, B.C. director of the Broadbent Institute, says John Horgan faces a challenge in explaining why he called an election early.