VANCOUVER — British Columbia woke up Sunday to a reshaped political landscape but no clear winner of a provincial election marked by the rise of the B.C. Conservatives from the political fringe to centre stage.
Neither the Conservatives, led by John Rustad, nor the incumbent NDP of Premier David Eby reached the 47 seats needed to form a majority government after initial counting ended on election night, with a handful of seats undecided.
Elections BC said counting was set to resume Sunday morning.
But regardless of the outcome, the election represented a stunning moment for the B.C. Conservatives, who received less than two per cent of the vote last election.
They are now elected or leading in 45 ridings, the NDP was elected or leading in 46, while the BC Greens won two seats in the legislature.
"This is what happens when you stand on values," a triumphant Rustad told supporters in Vancouver late Saturday.
"If we are in that situation of the NDP forming a minority government, we will look at every single opportunity from day one to bring them down … and get back to the polls."
Eby said in a muted speech that a "clear majority" of voters supported "progressive values."
But he acknowledged that Rustad "spoke to the frustrations of a lot of British Columbians" when it came to costs of living and public safety.
"We've got to do better," Eby told supporters. "That was our commitment to British Columbians. We've got to do better, and we will do better."
He said he was committed to working with Green Leader Sonia Furstenau, whose party could hold the balance of power.
What happens next hinges on nine seats that were undecided when election-night counting ended, in particular Surrey City Centre and Juan de Fuca-Malahat, where the NDP was ahead by fewer than 100 votes.
If the Conservatives flip the lead in both of them, and hang onto the others where they lead, they will win with a one-seat majority in the 93-riding legislature.
If not, and assuming the NDP is unable to pass the Conservatives in any other undecided races, Westminster tradition means the incumbent party gets the first opportunity to try to form a minority government — in this case, the NDP, with the help of the Greens.
But the final outcome may not be confirmed for about a week.
Elections BC said automatic recounts would take place on Oct. 26 to 28 in districts where the margin was 100 votes or fewer after the initial count ends.
The election agency said more than 99.7 per cent of votes were counted on election night, but ballots cast by voters outside their district were still to be tallied, while "election official availability and weather-related disruptions" delayed some preliminary results.
Furstenau lost her seat but said her party was nevertheless poised to play a "pivotal role" in the legislature.
The Green victories went to Rob Botterell in Saanich North and the Islands and Jeremy Valeriote in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.
Furstenau lost to the NDP's Grace Lore after switching ridings to Victoria-Beacon Hill, but said she was "so excited" for her two colleagues, calling their wins "incredible."
"This is a passing of the torch and I am going to be there to mentor and guide and lead in any way that I can," she told her supporters in Victoria.
Botterell, a retired lawyer, said it was an “exciting day” for him and he was “honoured” for the opportunity to serve his constituents.
"Tonight's a night for celebration," he said. "There will be lots of discussion over the upcoming weeks, but I am totally supportive of Sonia and I'm going do everything I can to support her and the path forward that she chooses to take because that's her decision."
Rustad said his party had "not given up this fight" to form government.
"I am optimistic that people in this province are hungry for that change."
Royal Roads professor David Black said the Greens retaining official party status by winning two seats could give them “some real bargaining power” in what is shaping up to be a very tight legislature.
“The Greens are going to be the kingmakers here whatever happens, if the race is as close as it is right now between two larger parties,” he said in an interview on election night.
B.C. Conservatives president Aisha Estey called her party's showing "the ultimate underdog story" and relished what she called a "historic campaign."
"Whether it's government tonight or official opposition, we're not going anywhere. There's a Conservative Party in B.C. now finally," she said. "We're back."
Rustad's unlikely rise came after he was thrown out of the Opposition, then known as the BC Liberals, joined the Conservatives as leader, and steered them to a level of popularity that led to the collapse of his old party, now called BC United — all in just two years.
Outgoing New Democrat MLA George Heyman, who did not run for re-election, said it was always "going to be a tight election."
"It's reminiscent of 2017," Heyman said, referring to the last B.C. election where no party reached majority. "The message is clear, people have been struggling. They're having a hard time."
The B.C. Conservatives set to enter the legislature include Brent Chapman in Surrey South, who had been heavily criticized during the campaign for an old social media post in which he called Palestinian children "inbred" and "time bombs."
A group of former BC United MLAs running as Independents were all defeated, with Karin Kirkpatrick, Dan Davies, Coralee Oakes and Tom Shypitka losing to Conservatives.
For the NDP, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Nathan Cullen lost to Conservative Sharon Hartwell.
When election night counting ended, the NDP had received 44.6 per cent of the total vote, the B.C. Conservatives 43.6 per cent and the Greens 8.2 per cent.
Preliminary figures show 2,037,522 valid votes were cast, the first time the 2 million mark has been passed in a B.C. election, with turnout of about 57.4 per cent.
It was a rain-soaked election day for many voters, who braved high winds and torrential downpours brought by an atmospheric river weather system.
Two voting sites in Cariboo-Chilcotin in the B.C. Interior and one in Maple Ridge in the Lower Mainland were closed due to power cuts, Elections BC said, while several sites in Kamloops, Langley and Port Moody, as well as on Hornby, Denman and Mayne islands, were temporarily shut but reopened by mid-afternoon on Saturday.
— With files from Brenna Owen, Dirk Meissner, Brieanna Charlebois, Ashley Joannou and Darryl Greer
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2024.
Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press
