Leaders (finally?) talk climate change

By Michelle Ghoussoub

On Friday, talk of climate change was top of mind for our provincial leaders, with NDP Leader John Horgan making a campaign stop in Squamish to say a re-elected NDP government would pass legislation requiring B.C. to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Horgan spoke in front of Carbon Engineering, a clean energy company focused on carbon capture. And while he said the NDP plan would include the creation of new jobs, he offered no details on how the province would reach that target — a fact that was immediately seized upon by Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau. In a statement, Furstenau called the NDP announcement “meaningless,” citing a study that found when the LNG Canada project is factored in, emissions from oil and gas production will exceed B.C.’s existing 2050 target by 160 per cent, even if all other emissions are reduced to zero by 2035. 

“We already have legislated targets for 2040, but the B.C. NDP has shown they have no plan to meet them,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson made a campaign stop in Merritt. (The event got off to a bit of a rocky start when Wilkinson accidentally opened his speech by saying he was in Kamloops, but he quickly corrected that error.) He went on to speak about the future of B.C.’s forest industry, taking aim at the NDP’s record on mill closures in the region. He said a Liberal government would implement a market-based pricing system for timber and would support the building of the Trans Mountain pipeline. He also said his government, if elected, would prevent protestors from derailing resource projects and would support reforestation to bring down carbon emissions. 

Mark your calendars for debate night

In other election news … we finally know the date of the leaders debate. Wilkinson, Horgan and Furstenau will go head-to-head on Oct. 13  in a 90-minute televised debate that will start at 6:30 p.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no live audience and participants will be following public health guidelines. It will be covered across all CBC British Columbia platforms, including television, radio and online and, of course, in this newsletter.

If you can’t wait that long, candidates from the three parties will also debate climate change in an election forum on Oct. 8. The forum will also be online, with audience members having a chance to weigh in. 

COVID-19 and the campaign

Friday was marked by the news that U.S. President Donald Trump had tested positive for COVID-19. And Canadian politicians haven’t been immune — even when not managing the logistics of a campaign. Two federal leaders have tested positive for the virus, as did Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie in the early days of the pandemic. 

Asked on Friday about safety protocols, Horgan said the contrast between the campaign south of the border and the one happening in B.C. is “fairly obvious.” He said the NDP safety plan involves plenty of mask wearing, no large gatherings, and physical distancing at all times. Horgan and his team are crossing the province in an unmarked bus with just a few people aboard. Wilkinson, meanwhile, is travelling in his own car with only one other person. He said on Friday he wears a mask anytime that he’s not on camera, and that his party is keeping working groups separate. None of the parties’ strategies involve frequent testing, as that is not recommended by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

The candidates are finalized. Here's what we know

By Justin McElroy

With the deadline for registering as a candidate for this election with Elections BC over, here's what we know.

The NDP will run a full slate of 87 candidates in 87 ridings, a majority of whom are women — which the party says is the "highest number of women candidates ever to run for a party in BC."

This a) isn't true percentage-wise, because fringe parties exist, and b) glides over the fact that a couple of these candidates are constituency assistants or NDP organizers who don't live anywhere near the riding in question. But it's still impressive.

The Liberal Party will also run a full slate of 87 candidates, about one-third of whom are women (we're still doing the math), while the Green Party will run candidates in 74 ridings — less than in 2013 when they fielded 83 candidates, but perhaps understandable given they were in the midst of a leadership race until just 19 days ago. 

As for the minor parties, the amount of candidates they're running is ... well, minor. It appears the Libertarian Party will run around 15 candidates, the Conservative Party around 10, and nobody else will be even close to double digits — with the final list yet to be revealed by Elections BC.

If you're an NDP supporter, there's good news in that the Green Party doesn't have a candidate in swing ridings like Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows or Richmond South Centre. 

If you prefer the Liberals, there's good news in that the Conservative Party is probably too small to split the vote or gain much attention this election, keeping them firmly in command of the "free enterprise coalition."

And if you're not a huge fan of a two-party system? Well, there's not much to be excited about — but then again, that's par for the course in B.C. 

That's it for us today. For the latest headlines, check cbc.ca/bc.