Wendy Yuan and Jackie Lee – both former BC United candidates in Richmond – are running in the Oct. 19 provincial election as “unaffiliated.”
Both told the Richmond News they’ve been told by residents they should continue to run despite their former party's campaign suspension.
On Aug. 28, Kevin Falcon, the BC United leader, announced he was suspending the party’s campaign and urged people to back the Conservative Party of BC.
But this left several candidates unsure whether they had a place in the new political landscape.
Neither Yuan nor Lee have been offered the BC Conservative candidacy in the ridings they are running in – Michelle Mollineaux is the BC Conservative candidate for Richmond-Steveston and Hon Chan is the Conservative candidate for Richmond Centre. (Lee said he was asked if he wanted to run as a Conservative candidate in other ridings but he declined.)
Lee told the News many people have told him they don’t want another four years with the NDP in government but they feel “deeply uncomfortable” with the Conservative Party of BC that has candidates who have espoused “extreme views” or repeated conspiracy theories.
For Yuan, the way the decision to suspend the BC United campaign, without consulting candidates first, was “undemocratic.”
“We all deserved to be consulted on things like this,” she said.
Yuan said BC United announced last week they will run some candidates, but she hasn’t heard what is happening and made her own decision to run as an independent candidate.
“We can’t wait forever – it’s total chaos,” she said.
Yuan no longer has access to the money she’s raised for her campaign.
But she said events over the past few weeks haven’t shaken the resolve of her campaign and the volunteers she has working on her campaign.
“I feel very proud of our volunteers and our team,” Yuan said.
While Yuan said she’s continuing her campaign on her own, Lee is joining forces with other like-minded former BC United MLAs and candidates, including Karin Kirkpatrick, the MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano, Mike Bernier, MLA for Peace River South, and Tom Shipytka of Kootenays East.
Lee said they hope to form a group of independent MLAs in the legislature that can hold the balance of power and not be tied to party policy, but rather vote according to their constituents’ wishes.
Lee said he’s received hundreds of calls of support and has met with a group of community leaders, whose names he wouldn’t disclose, who encouraged him to run.
The BC United candidate for Richmond-Queensborough, Pavan Bahia, has withdrawn his candidacy. Former BC United MLA Teresa Wat, running in the now-called Richmond-Bridgeport riding, switched to the BC Conservatives a couple of months ago.
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