An anonymous group claiming to represent disgruntled BC United party affiliates called ‘Resign Kevin’ called for the party’s leader Kevin Falcon to resign.
With a website and an account on X, the group urged Falcon to resign BC United’s party leadership for the benefit of the province and to defeat the NDP in the 2024 provincial election.
In an emailed statement to True North, the group claimed it represents several former party members, with a few former political staffers who were active in the days the party was called the BC Liberals.
‘Resign Kevin’s’ organizers choose to remain anonymous, expressing fear that they’ll receive backlash from Falcon and the party.
“This is not a big tent party anymore, and anything and anyone who dissents from the leader is blackballed within,” the group said.
“We are long-time supporters and do not want that kind of outcome, hence the anonymity of our group.”
The group advocates for a cooperation agreement with the BC Conservatives in a bid to unseat the governing NDP and form a free-enterprise alliance.
Last week, Falcon proposed an electoral alliance to BC Conservative leader John Rustad, however, Rustad rejected the agreement, calling the offer “unserious.”
‘Resign Kevin’ claims that a cooperation agreement between the two centre-right parties is unachievable under Falcon’s “flawed and backwards governance.”
“Our purpose is simple: to not only make an appeal to Kevin and his advisors, but more importantly, to start a real conversation amongst grassroots centre-right voters that to beat the BC NDP, we must work on a tangible cooperation agreement. That clearly is not going to happen within the delusions of Kevin Falcon,” the group’s spokesperson said.
In their “timeline of folly,” the group criticizes Falcon for failing to follow through on a promised party rebuild, for ejecting John Rustad from the party, for renaming the party, and for rejecting cooperation with Rustad’s BC Conservatives.
BC United disputed the claims in a comment to True North, saying that no stock can be placed in the anonymous website’s claims.
“This website is anonymous and has provided no evidence it is run by any former members of BC United, and therefore we do not put any stock into the claims made by the anonymous poster,” wrote a BC United spokesperson.
When asked how BC United plans on winning back disillusioned supporters of their party who no longer support them, the spokesperson said they’ll be introducing a bold policy agenda that will lead to forming a government.
“In the coming weeks and months ahead we will be attracting new voters from across British Columbia with our new bold and exciting policies, coupled with accomplished candidates who will be ready to hit the ground running on day one when we form government.”
However, the prospects of BC United forming government are not great, as a recent poll from Pallas Data shows that BC United would only win 13% of the vote in an election, compared to the BC Conservatives’ 38% and the NDP’s 37%.
On May 22nd, Falcon proposed an electoral alliance with the BC Conservatives that would have each party run in 47 and 46 constituencies respectively while protecting BC United’s incumbent MLAs from BC Conservative competition.
The deal would also see the two centre-right parties pledge to form a coalition government with each party being guaranteed seats in a potential cabinet.
In a statement publicly rejecting Falcon’s offer, Rustad said that the offer was “unserious” and “dishonest.”
“Time and time again, and in this ‘offer,’ Kevin Falcon has demonstrated that he will always put himself first and will do absolutely anything for power: before the BC United Party, before his own candidates, and ultimately before the province,” said Rustad.
“As I have previously promised, the Conservative Party of BC is committed to running candidates in all 93 provincial ridings and unlike Kevin Falcon, I intend to keep my promises.”
The next general election in British Columbia will be on October 19, 2024.
