PolitiCoast

Links Rift in B.C. Conservative caucus deepens as MLA defies party leader | CBC News BC Conservative MLA accused of being a Manchurian candidate, Rustad defends free speech amongst caucus Canadian premiers urge strong response to Trump tariff threat, minister says | Reuters Eby says 'nothing's off the table' in responding to Trump's tariff threats Premier David Eby vows accountability after Small...

Health issues for NDP MLAs and MPs. Polling suggests the GST holiday lands with a thud. Foreign interference in the Conservative Party. Trudeau meets with Trump and looks at further immigration and gun control reforms. Links Children and Family Development Minister Grace Lore steps down to undergo cancer treatment | CBC News NDP MP Randall Garrison to step down due to health reasons - The Globe an...

David Eby's new cabinet is sworn in. John Rustad bestows opposition roles. But the legislature won't meet till February. Federally, we have a GST holiday and $250 gift from Trudeau, if Singh will agree to the terms. And Trump threatens Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs on everything. Links New Chief of staff New cabinet ready to deliver on the priorities of British Columbians All NDP MLAs receive...

We remember John Horgan, look back at the final judicial recount results and preview an upcoming federal byelection. Plus labour strife for Trudeau, Singh promises to cut the GST on essentials, Liberal & Conservative bickering over housing grants and a cap on oil & gas emissions. Links Former B.C. premier John Horgan dies following battle with cancer | Globalnews.ca Surrey-Guildford Judicial Recou...

Elections BC is under scrutiny after announcing a missed ballot box and a number of ballots. Not enough to make a difference (as confirmed by the judicial recounts that concluded post-recording). A shakeup in the Premier's Office. Fundraising shows the Conservatives overtook the NDP in Q3 fundraising. Federally, Trudeau pivots to address a second Trump presidency and bans TikTok from employing Can...

Pending two judicial recounts, the NDP clinched Surrey-Guildford in the closest BC election in recent history. Now all eyes turn to who will be speaker and how functional a one seat majority really is. New Brunswick proves the strength of anti-incumbency vibes, while Saskatchewan proves the polls can still fail. Trudeau fights off an internal coup and dissatisfaction from the Bloc. Links Feds spen...

Well, we're waiting on the results again. Ian and Scott break down what we know so far, what went right and more what went wrong with each campaign. Links Preliminary Results | Elections BC Update on Recounts, Final Count | Elections BC Meet the Extreme, Far-Right BC Conservative Candidates Who Are Now Legislators Following BC’s Wild Election BC’s Legislature Hits Gender Parity | The Tyee   and th...

Record-setting advance voting but who knows what that means for final turnout. The NDP last-ditch lawsuit flops. BC United rises from the dead, the Conservatives have a platform - and so do the Greens. Go vote on Saturday if you haven't yet. Links Advance vote numbers Judge denies NDP hearing to force Conservative Party to use 'B.C.' | Vancouver Sun BC United hosts a party BC Conservative platform...

The big televised debate has come and we break down how it went, who did well (Furstenau) and who did bad (Rustad). Following that, we've had another dump of opposition research, almost entirely targeted South Surrey Conservative candidate Brent Chapman. It hasn't moved the polls yet, but maybe things are shifting (if we squint)? And a roundup of announcements that do not include a costed Conserva...

The leaders faced off on a CKNW radio debate, which reminds everyone how much we all hate debates. The NDP release their platform. The Conservatives released a platform worth of policies. And the Greens also released a platform (but we ran out of time). Something probably happened in Ottawa too but this is an election-focused episode. Links B.C. election radio debate: Party leaders spar over housi...

All three parties are kicking off the election campaign with a bevvy of policies. We look at their housing policies and more. Plus the NDP have started dropping their research suggesting how weird John Rustad is, while the Conservatives try to implicate Ravi Kahlon's sister in influence peddling. Federally, Trudeau easily survives his first confidence motion but there are more on the horizon, part...

Continuing to play defence, David Eby announces plans for involuntary treatment for people with addictions, more money for cops and a call on the Victoria School District to be nicer to the local police. Meanwhile, former federal cabinet minister Herb Dhaliwal is attempting to launch a New BC Liberal Party, with only elections BC and the old BC Liberal Party standing in the way. That party (BC Uni...

Recent allegations suggest Russia has been funding a network of far right content creators. The Tyee's Jen St Denis fills in for Scott this week to discuss some of the provincial connections to these bombshells stories. Then we discuss David Eby's about face on the carbon tax and how the Conservatives seem to be driving the narrative in this election. Links Follow Jen St Denis: Twitter Instagram T...

As the dust starts to settle on the fallout after Kevin Falcon unilaterally suspended BC United's campaign, it seems like just three BCU MLAs and four more candidates have found spots with the Conservatives, while many more are now eyeing independent runs across the province. Meanwhile, John Rustad appeared on the Jordan Peterson podcast to solidify his right-wing base. The NDP lose Mitzi Dean as...

Bombshells as Kevin Falcon commits seppuku before the entire province. The right is united but not behind BC United. The Auditor General clears the government and MNP of any malfeasance in the CleanBC grant scandal. Single stair buildings are permitted. And the feds face immigration challenges. Links How secret talks sealed a historic alliance in BC politics - Business in Vancouver Final Report on...

John Rustad rejects calls to dump a 5G conspiracy theorist as a candidate as rumours of discontent among his base swirl. Federally, Trudeau deals with railway lockouts. Links Rob Shaw: Rustad's answer to 5G COVID conspiracies? Blame cancel culture Rob Shaw: Effort to oust Rustad emerges from BC Conservative ranks B.C. election frontrunners accused of dodging debates | Globalnews.ca Not time to bal...

Ryan Clayton fills in for Ian to discuss the state of BC Politics, 65 days before the election, BC United putting out a major tax cut promise in the middle of summer and what’s going on with the smaller federal parties. Links Ryan Clayton | Substack Kevin Falcon says BC United will implement largest tax cut in B.C. history if elected - The Globe and Mail BC United announces largest tax cut in Brit...

Links Final flight of Martin Mars water bomber set for Sunday - Victoria Times Colonist Terry Yung defaults to be BCNDP candidate in Vancouver-Yaletown BC United's Poll Claims British Columbia – Province Wide Survey of Decided Voters | Sovereign North Strategies B.C. government gives Burnaby, Langley transit hub density ultimatum | Vancouver Sun B.C. HousingHub program touting 'affordable rentals'...

This week in "what's going wrong for BC United": Another MLA defects, polls paint a bleak picture, they've made a desperate plea to Elections BC to include "formerly BC Liberals" on the ballot and interim financial reports show they have the fewest donors. Meanwhile, the BC Government stands firm against West Van and delivers (insufficient) housing targets for ten more communities. And Bonnie Henr...

Only West Vancouver is openly defying the province's multiplex zoning law, while a few other municipalities are banking on an extension. Translink screams that the sky is falling and the BC Conservatives will solve the day with an audit. And nominations heat up. Federally, we have a new labour minister and a report that Elections Canada is considering recommending changes to candidate nomination p...

Fresh off the premier's meeting, David Eby is angry at Ottawa and making amends with premiers like Danielle Smith. The BC Conservatives pitch privatization to patch over the problems in our primary care system. Federally, Seamus O'Regan steps down as Labour Minister, another minister is under the ethics spotlight and the grocery stores agree to a code of conduct. Links Trudeau outlines details of...

All data points to BC's election shaping up to be a tighter than expected two-way race, even as more prominent BCNDP MLAs choose to retire. Dr Bonnie Henry makes a stronger call for expanded safer supply and no one wants to listen. Meanwhile Lytton remains in ruins. Federally, Trudeau mulls a Carney-Freeland swap, while others recommend an electoral reform hail Mary. Also, the Federal Greens make...

Seven-year veteran Green MLA Adam Olsen announced his retirement from provincial politics. The ombudsperson found "systemic mismanagement" in the hiring of temporary contracts within the public service. Trudeau lost a byelection that the Liberals have held since 1993. And Harjit Sajjan is under fire for possibly muddling the already botched Afghanistan evacuation. Links BC Green MLA Adam Olsen Ann...

More candidates jump ship on BC United. Private money is funding attack ads. Open net salmon farming is being shut down...in five years. And the latest in foreign interference. Links Eby's baby countdown brings B.C. election campaigning forward - Coast Reporter BC United will fix affordability by unleashing economic prosperity BC United candidate Puneet Sandhar bows out BC United drops Chris Moore...

BC United suffers another embarassment, as do the BC Greens. Meanwhile, Eby takes on the federal government over immigration funding (we recorded before he criticized equalization payments too). Federally, Elizabeth May and Jagmeet Singh read the unredacted NSICOP report on foreign interference and have diametrically opposed takes on it - presumably one of them is correct. Links B.C. United misste...