The political picture in B.C. has taken a dramatic turn in the past few weeks.
To the surprise of many – including the BC United caucus, leader Kevin Falcon was alongside BC Conservative leader John Rustad on Aug. 28 to announce that he was suspending the United provincial election campaign and urging supporters to throw their support behind Rustad.
The move sent shockwaves through the party and left all sitting MLAs including Delta South’s Ian Paton with few answers as to what to do next.
After several days of soul searching and weighing his options, Paton decided to join the Conservatives. Several other longstanding United MLAs have retired, while a few others have decided to run in the Oct. 19th election as independents.
Social media, for the most part, has been kind to Mr. Paton as many in the community are happy that he chose to stay in the race.
His other two options would have been to retire or run as an independent, but given the current polling numbers, a majority government either led by the current NDP party or the Conservatives is the most likely scenario meaning even if Paton was elected as an independent, his role in the legislature would be minimal.
There has been negative backlash against Paton, with some residents calling him a sellout and questioning his morals for joining the Conservatives.
I see it differently, however.
Paton had really no choice. Falcon hung his party and his loyal MLAs out to dry. Paton showed his loyalty to Falcon and BC United right until the end. He hosted a major party fundraiser, just days prior to Falcon’s announcement. He was courted by the Conservatives for months, but said he was a team player and didn’t waver from that.
Joining the Conservatives was likely not high on his list, but he wants to continue to fight for the people of Delta. He wants to fight for the farming and agriculture community across the province. Staying in the race as a member of the Conservatives is the only way he could continue that fight and I applaud him for fighting for those who have given him the chance to serve. It’s all we can ask from our politicians.
