“The poll that matters most is the one on election day.”
That’s from BC United Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond who remains confident in her party’s chances in this fall’s provincial election despite being ranked fourth in a recent Research Co poll, putting them behind the BC Greens.
In addition, the party is asking Elections BC to include “formerly BC Liberals” on ballots for the upcoming vote – an idea that was previously rejected – however, Bond said it’s not that big of a deal and the name change was not a mistake.
“What we want British Columbians to know is that we are a big coalition party called BC United and that we do have a record in BC of serving the people in this province and I don’t think we need to read more into it than that. I think we want people to be familiar with who we are as a party.,”
“Let’s be clear, it takes time for people to become familiar with the new name but at the end of the day we want to remind people of is that we have managed to do some important things here in the north and elsewhere. We want people to have a familiarity when they get to the voters box.”
In the online survey, 41% of decided voters would support the governing BC New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate in their constituency if the election were held today, while 38% (+5) would cast a ballot for the BC Conservatives.
The BC Green Party remains in third place with 10% (-5), followed by BC United—currently the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly—with 9%.
“The poll that matters most is the one that takes place on election day. I know this, I am working as hard as I can on behalf of the residents in Prince George-Valemount and I want to continue to do that. At the end of the day, people will make a choice on whether or not my work deserves another term in Victoria.”
“If you look at the election back in 2013, the BC Liberals were 22 points behind in the polls and everyone predicted that Adrian Dix would be the Premier of British Columbia. If we look back historically, none of that happened,” added Bond.
In terms of regional support, the NDP is ahead of the BC Conservatives in Metro Vancouver (44% to 35%) and Vancouver Island (43% to 32%), while the provincial Tories lead the governing NDP in Northern BC (57% to 31%) and the Fraser Valley (47% to 28%).
When asked about her thoughts on Richmond North Centre representative Theresa Wat joining the Conservatives, the fourth BC United MLA to jump ship – Bond adds this one stings a little more than the others.
“She came out with a very clear statement that she was committed to running with the BC United Party in the upcoming election. People will have to judge those candidates for the choices that they have made.
Wat joins Bruce Banman (Abbotsford South), Elenore Sturko (South Surrey) and, Lorne Doerkson (Cariboo Chilcotin) as former United members who have crossed the floor in recent months to join Tory leader John Rustad who is also a former BC Liberal MLA.
Bond added she intends to run for re-election in her riding, stating more needs to be done to improve healthcare at UHNBC in Prince George.
“We need cardiac care, we need better mental health and addiction support in this community. I think you need a strong, experienced voice that is going to stand up and ensure we get the services we need and deserve.”
Lastly, Bond also commended the work of people who have opened their homes and serving those who have fled the Jasper wildfire in Alberta.
Following a recent visit to the area, Bond noticed the lack of highway traffic felt eerie and that the blaze will likely have some in-direct consequences.
“My communities along Highway 16 and Highway 5 rely on tourism income and they rely on that during the winter and summer. I can tell you after spending many days out there since the fire, we are seeing businesses struggling to stay open.”
The Alberta government plans to release schedules shortly for bus tours to the devastated town so residents can view the damage.
However, a date for their return is still up in the air, as crews work to restore water, electricity, and natural gas connections.
The wildfire that swept through the town last week is still burning out of control.
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