Advance voting has begun and a week from today, voting in British Columbia’s 2024 election will end.
While more than 400 anti-voter bills have been introduced in 48 American states, Elections BC works hard to provide safe and accessible voting opportunities for all. Registration is simple, and eligible voters can cast their ballot by mail or during six full days of advance voting before the final day on October 19. Voters unsure about eligibility should visit the Elections BC website, or go to a voting place where ballot-issuing officers are ready to assist. No matter where a person is in British Columbia, they can vote with little effort.
Right-wing coalitions friendly to big business ruled this province for 52 of the last 72 years. Led by a man removed in 2022 from the Official Opposition caucus for denying established climate science, Conservatives have absorbed BC United, successor to the misnamed BC Liberal Party. After next Saturday, a new government will be formed by the centrist free-enterprise NDP, or the Conservatives, a party that welcomes far-right radicals, fascists, and bigots.
My preference is for David Eby to be returned to lead a minority government enabled by a coalition with BC Greens, with Sonia Furstenau appointed Deputy Premier. This requires people to engage in strategic voting.
Strategic voting occurs when a voter casts a ballot not for their preferred candidate, but for the candidate they think is best positioned to defeat their least desired candidate.
Larry Savage Professor, Labour Studies, Brock University
BC Greens have the most humane and informed leader in Sonia Furstenau, but the party is not yet fully organized in British Columbia. However, BC Greens have many quality candidates. One is a regular reader and occasional contributor to IN-SIGHTS. He is Pat McCutcheon, a retired professional engineer who ran a consulting business for many years. Pat is running in Surrey-Cloverdale. I have enjoyed face-to-face conversation with Pat and have no hesitation in recommending him as a person who would be an excellent MLA.
Those whose politics do not favour the far-right should vote for viable BC Green Party candidates. Where those are not presented, voters should choose the NDP, even if that is unsatisfactory.
“I’ve watched the health-care situation in Surrey deteriorate,” said McCutcheon, who has lived in Cloverdale for more than 20 years. “I’ve watched the public-education system collapse. I’ve watched housing affordability go through the roof—the cost of living, and of course climate change.”
He said he got involved with the B.C. Greens in 2019 because of his concerns over climate change. He said the party also has a lot of “very progressive and innovative ideas” that could help fix problems with affordable housing, health care, and public education.
McCutcheon’s been frustrated with successive provincial governments for 30 years.
“It doesn’t matter which party we’re talking about … they take a reactive approach to the concerns and the demands that are on the various social services, like health care and public education,” he explained.
Cloverdale resident running for B.C. Greens in Surrey-Cloverdale riding
Liberalism has a few, sometimes conflicting descriptions. This chart presents my view of being a small-L liberal in the 21st century. It is produced by the American site Conservative Myths. However, I think it describes the choices available to BC voters in 2024.
The way right-wing business-oriented conservatives work to further private interests of their sponsors is described in a report co-published by Floodlight, ProPublica, and Tow Center for Digital Journalism. It is a story about egregious bias in corporate journalism and misinformation funded by dark money.
Categories: Conservatives, BC, Green Party BC
in-sights.ca 
Despite my crushing disappointment with my MLA and her government, I could never bring myself to vote conservative, given the stark resemblance of their words and deeds to Poilievre’s crew and to the Trumpian crowd south of the border.
The people at Elections BC are great at ensuring that everyone eligible has opportunity to vote and is encouraged to do so. I voted early, and the process was quick and painless, the polling people were courteous and helpful, thorough in their duty without being intrusive or officious. I could see this changing under the aegis of the BCCP, were they to get elected.
South of the border, the Republicans have as much as admitted that they can’t win without cheating and the restrictions on selected voters are monstrous, but ubiquitous: I am a dual citizen, and the process of voting from abroad for those of us “domiciled” in California is about as good as it could possibly be, with reminders to check registration, rapid communications about voter status, the sending of ballot links and instructions for returning a ballot in a secure fashion. I have great respect for the folks working a #1 Carl Goodlet Place.
Sonya Furstenau has shown a deep understanding of the crises we face and an openness to solutions that may take us out of our comfort zone, as well as a calm and caring attitude. One can sense that what she lacks is a constituency of wealthy and powerful hacks directing her to fix their nits rather than attending to the lacunas that plague so many of us. This post clarifies many thoughts I’ve had since Horgan went off the rails in December, 2017.
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Hey Norm, thank you for the endorsement. This is probably one of the most important elections in a long time. We need to get this right, which means electing more BC Green candidates. Giving either the NDP or the BC Cons a majority is a scary thought.
If there are any Surrey-Cloverdale residents in your audience I hope I can count on your support. Otherwise, I strongly encourage you to vote for the BC Green candidate in your riding.
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I voted strategically yesterday.
Had to hold my nose and vote NDP .
The changes in demographics in Nanaimo could result in a Conservative win and the Green party contender is a no name with no experience.
We cannot go backwards but we should hold the NDP’s feet to the fire for some of their spending and failures.
TB
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The Autocracy of Bureaucracy
In White Rock, where I live, thousands of us who support the BC Green Party have been denied our democratic rights due to a phenomenon I call the Autocracy of Bureaucracy.
This situation arose when Elections BC officials removed the Green Party candidate from the ballot in the Surrey-White Rock riding over a minor error in the nomination form. The disqualification stemmed from the candidate’s failure to retain a Certified Professional Accountant as the auditor for his campaign. This error was discovered only two hours after nominations closed, yet the Elections Act, enforced by bureaucratic rule-makers, does not allow for any changes to nomination papers once the deadline has passed.
I could understand this if the issue were related to the validity of nominating signatures or another significant matter warranting disqualification, but not having a certified CPA?
The Green Party in White Rock received 1,100 votes, or 12% of the total cast. While this was not enough to secure a victory over the BC Liberal candidate, it represented an opportunity for those of us who believe in the BC Green Party’s platform to express our views and participate in democracy.
This situation exemplifies the Autocracy of Bureaucracy. There are too many bureaucratic barriers to meaningful participation in democracy, which collectively undermine the integrity of our government institutions.
The most egregious issue here is the lack of accountability to taxpayers among bureaucrats at all levels of government. Many senior bureaucrats prioritize the preservation of their jobs and the governmental structure over fostering constructive dialogue aimed at efficient and effective use of tax dollars. We need a grassroots initiative to hold bureaucrats and elected officials accountable for their actions. It is crucial to uncover the “hidden government structure” that obstructs the electorate’s understanding of decision-making processes. This transparency could lead to more effective democratic governance.
It would have been straightforward for the head of Elections BC to allow the Green candidate in South Surrey – White Rock 24 hours to correct his mistake, which would not have jeopardized the integrity of the election process but would have left thousands of voters feeling that they had at least been heard.
As a supporter of the BC Green Party, I am taking a stand I’ve never taken in my 60 years of voting at all levels of government: I will deliberately spoil my ballot and vote for Winnie the Pooh in this election. I trust the irony of my choice will not be lost on officialdom when my ballot is counted.
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As the “Eye” finds both the NDP and Conservative leaders unfit for office and planned to vote Green, but there is no Green candidate, thus I have been disenfranchised with no one to vote for and no way to register my politcal feelings.
Thus, I cannot vote, by the will of our fake democratic process.
Never say that BC and Canada are democratic, they are not, we are an autocracy, where the peons are allowed to demonstrate “free will” for about 12 hours every 4 years and then do as one is told to do in between.
This is sowing the seeds of revolution and the grim results of “revolt”.
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