The BC Green Party made political history Tuesday night by winning three seats in the Legislature – all for Vancouver Island candidates.
Despite some early glitches with poll results in his riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head, party leader Andrew Weaver cruised to victory once again, more than doubling the next-closest candidate, the NDP's Bryce Casavant, in vote totals.
He’ll be joined in the Legislature by Saanich North and the Islands candidate Adam Olsen, who won the riding four years after he narrowly lost it in a three-way race with the NDP and Liberals.
“We’ve invested in Saanich North and the Islands over the past four years. There’s no question that this is one of the greenest ridings in the province,” said Olsen.
Olsen said that the historic win means, with a projected minority government, the Liberals and NDP will have to change now that the Greens appear to hold the balance of power in the Legislature.
“They’re not going to be able to play the political calculus any longer. The fact of the matter is that the Greens are here, we’re going to be a force. They’re going to have to recognize that and figure out a way for us all to work together in the Legislature.”
In Cowichan Valley, Green candidate Sonia Furstenau appeared to be in a neck-and-neck race with NDP candidate Lori Iannidinardo, but eventually pulled away and was declared the third Green winner of the night.
“I’m very happy, and I’m very grateful to this room full of people, many of whom have been working on this campaign with me for six months,” said Furstenau, who is known for leading the fight against a controversial contaminated soil dump in her community of Shawnigan Lake.
“For me, nothing changes. For me, it’s all about communities being empowered, having their voices heard, government that actually listens to people,” she said.
The results mean that the Greens will wield a lot of power, and whoever ends up forming government will need Andrew Weaver and his party to get votes passed – but whoever forms the opposition will need the same thing.
Votes are still being counted and it could be early in the morning before voters know which party will form B.C.’s next government.
