Geoff Russ: David Eby going to court over Conservative name just another desperate NDP tactic

Can we expect embattled British Columbia Premier David Eby to post “STOP THE COUNT!” on X when the provincial election results come on Oct. 19?

It would certainly be consistent. On Friday, the NDP took to the courts to accuse Elections BC of violating Charter rights. The alleged violation stems from the fact that the Conservative Party of BC is due to be listed simply as the “Conservative Party” on the provincial ballot. In a court filing, the NDP argued that without a name change, voters might mix up the provincial and federal Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) and write “Pierre Poilievre” on their ballots. Doing so would spoil their votes.

No doubt, the BC Conservatives and the federal CPC saw their fortunes surge at the same time and they both colour themselves in blue. John Rustad has been an outspoken supporter of Pierre Poilievre, while CPC MPs have boosted the BC Conservatives on social media. Nonetheless, they remain different parties with different boards and organizations.

This election will not be the first that the BC Conservatives have run candidates: the party has done so in nearly every election in the province’s history, including in 2020. There was no whining about brand confusion four years ago when Erin O’Toole led the CPC, and the BC Conservatives were an afterthought.

Now, the NDP government is in a fight for its life that few predicted one year ago, back when the Conservatives had just two seats in the legislature.

Premier David Eby’s story was not supposed to be like this.

Eby was supposed to cruise to victory on the back of the popularity of his predecessor, John Horgan, as the rival BC United and BC Conservatives battled for the votes of the political right. The downfall of BC United ended with its own leader, Kevin Falcon, committing an epic coup de grâce in the dying days of August, suspending the campaign and endorsing Rustad.

Since then, the polls have firmly closed between the Conservatives and the NDP, whose record in government has left it with little to run on. BC Conservatives have held a growing lead for over a week.

Eby has made big promises on healthcare, housing and other areas, but none of these have come to fruition in time for the election. On drugs, crime and the carbon tax, Eby has mounted a nearly full retreat after once being Canada’s most ironclad champion of drug liberalization, alternative justice and carbon pricing.

The biggest thing that Eby and the NDP have going for them is that the Conservative candidates have tweeted out some silly and unfortunate words in years past. On a radio debate in Vancouver, Eby spent his time trying to poke Rustad over his candidates’ tweets, coming across like a Twitch streamer arguing with people in the comments, while Rustad largely remained focused on the issues.

In a truly embarrassing moment, when asked if the parents of addicted children should be able to place them in involuntary care, Eby responded that “it’s not straightforward.”

For context, this is a scenario that has tragically played out under this government: in August, a 13-year-old died alone in a Greater Vancouver homeless camp of a suspected overdose. In February, during a hospital stay for her addiction, her parents were told they were not allowed to put her in involuntary care because it was “her choice.”

The answer to the question asked of Eby is as straightforward as it comes. Everybody with a brain knows it, and it is only Eby who stubbornly gaslights people by saying otherwise.

Sure, the NDP has released a platform promising the world to B.C. residents, like financing 40 per cent of the cost of a home purchase for first-time buyers, and taxing foreign speculators at three per cent. Few care about these NDP promises when they have been in government for seven years.

Besides, Rustad and his Conservatives promised to axe the ban on plastic single-use items and end the toxic regime of paper straws and flimsy paper bags.

The mandatory paper bags in grocery stores can be irritating, but they are manageable. It cannot be overstated how much the average B.C. resident utterly loathes the paper straws. These flimsy, soggy instruments bend and break to pieces, releasing their excessive synthetic “forever chemicals” (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS) into your ginger ale.

These compounds are associated with lower birth weights, higher cholesterol, thyroid disease and increased risks of cancer, and scientists and researchers have not determined what levels of exposure are dangerous. So while the NDP can brag about how green their policies are, their paper straws are loaded with problems.

Rustad’s promise to get rid of paper straws, along with a proposal for lucrative tax rebates and to remove taxes entirely on tips for severs, made a bigger splash than whatever Eby proposed. It is little things like this which have made the Conservatives so much more appealing despite the wacky tweets from some of their candidates, most of whom remain on the ballot.

In an election like this, in unfortunate times like these, people do not care about social media posts. They care about who will lead a government that makes their lives easier and more comfortable.

The Conservatives, as they should appear on the ballot, are driving the conversation, and appear to live in the NDP’s head rent-free.

On the other hand, the NDP are doing their best to keep up, with hopes and prayers that the few remaining independent incumbents with a chance of winning can split the vote just enough to win a plurality.

That, and they can try taking Elections BC to court as they are now.

All can see what it looks like when an arrogant, but ultimately spineless government finds itself in a do-or-die situation they never thought possible. It looks anti-democratic, petty and bitter, and also very funny.

National Post