The B.C. provincial election will be held Oct. 24.
This is your daily campaign trail update with everything you need for Oct. 20, 2020.
This page will be updated throughout the day, with developments added as they happen.
WHERE THE LEADERS ARE TODAY
John Horgan, NDP : The NDP leader will participate in a roundtable about seniors and make an announcement at 9:30 a.m. in Coquitlam, followed by a 1 p.m. roundtable about nurses with candidate Susie Chant in North Vancouver.
Andrew Wilkinson, Liberal: The Liberal leader will hold a media availability at 10 a.m. at Nicomekl Farms in Surrey.
Sonia Furstenau, Green: The Green leader will host a press conference to discuss the B.C. Green Party’s plan for economic recovery from 11 to 11:45 a.m. at the Troller Ale House in West Vancouver, followed by a sign wave at 3:30 p.m. in Lake Cowichan. She’ll wrap up the day by remotely participating in a conversation on addressing climate change in B.C. at 7 p.m.
TWEETS FROM THE TRAIL
.@VaughnPalmer just absolutely shreds @jjhorgan’s defence of star candidate Nathan Cullen in this column. https://t.co/PlApvmDW7e
— Rob Shaw (@RobShaw_BC) October 19, 2020
GUIDES AND LINKS
• B.C. Election 2020: Stay informed with our daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox every day at noon. Sign up here.
• Read the latest news on B.C. Election 2020
• Here’s how, where and when to vote
• Received a blank ballot? Here’s how to fill it out
• What candidates are running in my riding?
• Register to vote in the B.C. Election
• Find your electoral district
CAMPAIGN TRAIL NEWS
8 a.m. – Latest data suggests gap closing between B.C. NDP and B.C. Liberals
The latest data from the Angus Reid Institute indicates support for the B.C. NDP may be shifting.
It suggests that those who have already voted – largely located in Metro Vancouver and on Vancouver Island – are in overwhelming support of John Horgan’s party. However, those who have yet to vote – particularly in the Northern and Interior B.C. and the Fraser Valley – remain undecided, with voting intentions split evenly between the NDP and Liberals.
7 a.m. – Sustainabiliteens endorse 11 Metro Vancouver “climate champion” candidates
Sustainabiliteens, a local youth-led advocacy group, has released its list of 11 Metro Vancouver candidate endorsements for the upcoming election.
The candidates were chosen based on “their proven commitment to prioritizing and working towards climate, racial, and social justice,” the group said in a news released shared Tuesday morning.
Those candidates include:
• Harrison Johnston, Green, North Vancouver – Seymour
• Tessica Truong, NDP, Vancouver – Langara
• Kelly Greene, NDP, Richmond – Lonsdale
• Niki Sharma, NDP, Vancouver-Hastings
• Dr. Devyani Singh, Green, Vancouver – Point Grey
• Cheryl Wiens, Green, Langley – East
• Andrew Williamson, Green, Burnaby – Lougheed
• Nazanin Moghadami, Green, Vancouver – Kensington
• Earl Einarson – Green, Richmond-Queensborough
• Jaeden Dela Torre, NDP, Richmond – North Centre
• Bryn Smith, NDP, Surrey – White Rock
“The upcoming election will shape our lives for decades to come: whoever is elected will be responsible for rebuilding from the pandemic and deciding who the millions of stimulus dollars will help – or hurt,” said organizer Sophie Tang in a statement.
“Our 11 endorsed candidates showed the will and compassion to steer us toward a future free of fossil fuels. We know they are willing to fight for us and a just and sustainable future, and so we chose to fight for them.”
12 a.m. – Horgan stands by Cullen following insensitive comments
B.C. NDP Leader John Horgan maintained his support for Nathan Cullen on Monday, after Cullen came under fire for insensitive comments about a Haida candidate over the weekend.
Cullen is currently running for the B.C. NDP in the riding of Stikine. Over the weekend, Cullen apologized for having made comments about North Coast candidate Roy Jones Jr. Cheexial, who is Haida and is running with the B.C. Liberals.
12 a.m. – Liberal leader Wilkinson promises infrastructure spending in Maple Ridge
B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson promised to support two major infrastructure projects in Maple Ridge, a city he said the B.C. NDP has ignored, if his party forms government after Saturday’s election.
Wilkinson, who was in Pitt Meadows campaigning on Monday morning, said a Liberal government would also add mental-health beds to Ridge Meadows Hospital.
12 a.m. – Greens would restore B.C. Ferries as a Crown corporation
B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau says, if elected, her party would restore B.C. Ferries as a Crown corporation.
Speaking at a campaign stop in Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island, Furstenau said the ferries system should be viewed as necessary infrastructure and not as a profit-driven business.
WHAT THE LEADERS ARE SAYING:
John Horgan, NDP: “I believe this election is about people and how we make sure that government is there for them every single day. We have significant challenges ahead of us,” said Horgan. “We’ve heard some stories today about where we’ve made progress, but although we’ve made progress there’s much more work to do.”
Andrew Wilkinson, Liberal: “These are human beings. We’ve got to make sure that they’re getting treatment for mental illness, for brain injury, or the various things that caused them to become homeless in the first place,” Wilkinson said. “That’s our goal, that’s our mission, that’s what we want to do here in Maple Ridge.”
Sonia Furstenau, Green: “We make investments in our transportation networks like roads and transit because we recognize that they are essential for peoples’ mobility and are about opening up economic opportunity. We need to stop pretending that ferries should, or could, be run with a profit motive and bring their focus back to the essential services they provide to our communities,” said Furstenau.
SOCIAL MEDIA STUMPING
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