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#BCPoli | John Rustad’s Vaccine Skepticism Endangers the Health of Most British Columbians

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During the televised Leaders’ Debate on Tuesday evening, John Rustad, the leader of the B.C. Conservative Party, attempted to position himself as anti-mandate rather than anti-vaccine in the ongoing discourse about COVID-19 policies.

Mr. Rustad asserted that while he is not opposed to vaccinations in principle, he stands firmly against mandates that require health care professionals to be vaccinated, especially when working with vulnerable populations such as seniors in long-term care facilities and patients in hospitals.

But this nuanced distinction between being anti-mandate and anti-vaxx quickly breaks down when scrutinized, particularly given the public health consensus around vaccine mandates during the pandemic.


British Columbia Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix

In British Columbia, the provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and Health Minister Adrian Dix of the BC NDP, implemented vaccine mandates for health care workers as a necessary measure to protect vulnerable patients.

This policy was widely supported by the public, particularly as it served to reduce outbreaks in high-risk settings like hospitals and long-term care facilities, where the most vulnerable to COVID-19 reside.

Mr. Rustad’s disagreement with this policy, while couched as a defense of personal choice and bodily autonomy, ignores the broader responsibility that health care workers have to protect those in their care. By focusing on the rights of individuals over the collective health of the population, Mr. Rustad aligns himself with sentiments that fueled the anti-vaccine movement during the pandemic.

Despite Mr. Rustad’s assertions, it is difficult to see the leader of the B.C. Conservatives as anything other than an anti-vaxx candidate for Premier.

Mr. Rustad’s opposition to mandates undermines the importance of vaccinations, particularly in settings where immunity is critical to safeguarding public health.

John Rustad’s participation in, and support for, the 2022 Freedom Convoy further cements this image. The  Convoy, which protested vaccine mandates and public health restrictions, drew significant attention and controversy. Its leadership, including figures like Tamara Lich and Pat King, was tied to far-right groups such as The Proud Boys, and its movement was largely fueled by misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccines and COVID-19.

Mr. Rustad’s vocal support for the Convoy and his appearance at related events signal his alignment with an anti-vaccine, anti-government fringe that many voters in British Columbia see as harmful and out of touch with mainstream values.

Moreover, Mr. Rustad’s association with the “Nuremberg 2.0” movement — a group that seeks to hold politicians, public health officials, and healthcare workers accountable for enforcing vaccine mandates, sometimes calling for extreme measures such as execution — adds to the troubling picture of his stance on vaccines.

While Mr. Rustad has attempted to distance himself from these more extreme elements, his previous support for “Nuremberg 2.0” cannot be easily disavowed.


The BCPS Employees for Freedom Society interview with B.C. Conservative Party leader John Rustad (you have to skip the first video that loads) who states that if he is elected Premier, he would replace Dr. Henry, and further would compensate with government funds health care professionals who he believes were discriminated against and mistreated under the “regime” of Dr. Bonnie Henry.

John Rustad’s participation in this discourse, as may be heard in the video above, suggests that he is sympathetic to radical ideas about government overreach and personal liberty, which alienates the broader electorate, particularly those who understand the critical importance of public health measures during a pandemic.

Perhaps more alarming than Mr. Rustad’s stance on COVID-19 vaccines is the wider impact that anti-vaxx sentiments have had on childhood vaccinations.

The anti-vaccine movement, amplified during the pandemic, has contributed to a troubling rise in vaccine skepticism among parents.


All of the shots responsible parents must ensure their children receive in the first 18 months of their child’s life, in order to keep their child, and all children their child associates with safe.

Diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and whooping cough, which were once nearly eradicated in developed countries due to widespread immunization, are now re-emerging as fewer parents vaccinate their children.

As per the graphic above — the B.C. Immunization Schedule published by British Columbia’s Ministry of Health — in Canada, children must receive a range of vaccinations before they reach 18 months of age to protect them from these serious and often deadly illnesses.

As may be seen above, a standard schedule of immunizations includes the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, polio, DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough), hepatitis B, and rotavirus vaccines, among others.

The erosion of trust in vaccines, driven by movements like the one John Rustad has supported, puts entire communities at risk.

Without sufficient levels of immunization, herd immunity is weakened, meaning even vaccinated children are at greater risk of contracting preventable diseases. The result: rising cases of measles and polio, diseases once relegated to history, but now on the rise once again, causing concern to communities across Canada.

Electing a candidate like Conservative Party of British Columbia leader John Rustad as Premier, a candidate for our province’s highest office, a candidate who flirts with anti-vaxx ideologies and rejects mandates that protect public health, could and would have far-reaching, negative consequences for British Columbians.

John Rustad’s dangerous anti-science views on the efficacy of vaccines undermine confidence in both the healthcare system and public health policies that have kept communities safe from pandemics and other infectious diseases.

A John Rustad-led government might, and most probably would, roll back critical protections, emboldening the anti-vaxx movement, leading to lower vaccination rates for not just COVID-19 but other essential vaccines as well.

Conservative Party of B.C. policies would exacerbate the resurgence of preventable diseases, putting the health of British Columbians — especially vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised — at risk.

Later this month, the latest Health Canada approved COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to the health ministries in provinces across Canada.

B.C. NDP Premier David Eby, as well as B.C. Green Party leader, Sonia Furstenau, have been explicit in stating that the fully funded availability of the latest mRNA vaccine is mandatory, as the province prepares for the rollout of both the latest COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, and the updated flu shot.

How about John Rustad?

Given John Rustad’s skepticism about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, would a John Rustad-led government purchase the necessary tranch of COVID-19 vaccines, or would vulnerable British Columbians be left to their own devices, and responsible themselves for the purchase of the potentially life-saving COVID-19 vaccine?

B.C. Conservative Party leader John Rustad’s rhetoric and actions align him more with anti-vaccine extremism than with a legitimate concern for personal freedom.

John Rustad’s rejection of mandates, support for radical movements like the Freedom Convoy, and ties to anti-vaxx conspiracies reflect a dangerous undercurrent in his politics many voters in British Columbia will hopefully find disqualifying.

#BCPoli | David Eby Comes to the Rescue of the Failed 2024 B.C. NDP Campaign

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VanRamblings has known David Eby since he first arrived in town in 2007 to article with the grassroots and activist Pivot Legal Society, where he fought the good fight for the residents who reside on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

In all the time we’ve known David — registering voters and getting the vote out in the 2009 provincial election, in his time as an activist Executive Director with the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, and working closely with David in his campaigns for provincial office in 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2020 — we’ve always been inspired by David Eby’s utter brilliance and command of the issues, his compassion and kindness, his ability to connect with people on a visceral level, his commitment to the public good, and for the welfare of everyone who has come to him for help.

Sadly, the David Eby we’ve known well for 17 years, and the David Eby who everyone who has worked with David knows so well and is so passionate about, has not been on display in the B.C. NDP 2024 campaign for office, as if somehow David is a lightning rod, and the campaign team wants to keep him under wraps.

What a terrible mistake the B.C. NDP campaign has made in “hiding” the David Eby those who care passionately about David know so well, and believe in David as the leader we know him to be, with all of our heart and conscience and utter devotion.

Today on VanRamblings, we’re going to introduce you to the David Eby we know well, and will suggest that it is David Eby, and David Eby alone, who will rescue the failed 2024 B.C. NDP campaign for office, that it is David Eby who will lead a 180-degree turnaround of the campaign, as the most inspiring and energizing presence on the hustings, a David Eby who many British Columbians will see for the very first time, a vigorous and tireless campaigner for the public good, in the sprint to the finish of a campaign that will conclude with victory on Saturday, October 19th.

First of all, something you may not know about David.

Our good Mr. Eby has a temper on him, and although not quick to anger, allow us to tell you from first-hand experience, you do not want to be on the receiving end of David’s anger — of course it is a directed and controlled anger, a good anger meant to redefine the circumstance in which one might find oneself, to inspire a change for the better.

In the lacklustre 2024 B.C. NDP campaign for office, we have not witnessed David’s anger — and, migawd, we should, we must — because the David Eby we know is right pissed off with what an antediluvian, regressive John Rustad Conservative administration would mean for the people of British Columbia.

In two words, chaos and hurt.

In the final two weeks of the 2024 B.C. election campaign, let us all see more righteous and palpable anger from David Eby, anger that will cause British Columbians to sit up and take notice, and say …

“Hey, this guy’s passionate about creating a better British Columbia for our family. This David Eby fella, he’s a leader, the kind of leader we need in 2024, someone who is passionate about fighting for us, and is committed to making our lives better.”

We’ll tell you something else you may not know about David Eby.

David Eby does not suffer fools gladly, least of all the so-called leader of the regressive Conservative Party of British Columbia. In the third day of the current campaign that became obvious, when reporters asked the NDP leader to respond to an allegation made by John Rustad that educators were indoctrinating students, so much so that his government would ban 4,000 books currently available in British Columbia schools, “including pornography made available to Grade 4 students as a part of the province’s SOGI 123 programme,” a programme designed to support gender variant children enrolled in our public education system with compassion.


CBC’s Michelle Elliot’s interview with John Rustad, where he says pornography is being made available to students enrolled in B.C.’s public education system, as part of the province’s SOGI 123 programme.

David’s Eby response to John Rustad’s absurd remarks was a roiling amalgam of anger, incredulousness and risible derision, as he rolled his eyes, stating to reporters that he was unsure if he’d ever heard anything more preposterous stated by a political leader. Going forward, the 2024 B.C. NDP campaign must hear, and witness, more fiery and passionate responses from B.C’s NDP leader, and more rolling of his eyes at the nonsensical rantings of the leader of the B.C. Conservatives.

Now, something you already know about David Eby, the Premier of our province.

David Eby is a take charge kind of guy. We’ve seen that every day since he became Premier of British Columbia in November 2022.

Here’s a personal example we’ve experienced: In the 2017 British Columbia election campaign, VanRamblings as we’ve written previously worked the front desk in David Eby’s campaign office. One bright afternoon when David returned to the office following an hour of mainstreeting along West Broadway, from Macdonald to Alma, upon entering the premises David queried us as to how things were going. “Fine,” we said, to which David responded, “Raymond, I know you. You’ve got concerns. Spill. What’s going on? Give me the straight goods. C’mon now.”

We expressed to David that every second call we’d received that morning and early afternoon expressed a concern that although a constituent and supporter had ordered a David Eby re-election sign to be delivered, sometimes as long as two weeks previous, the signs had yet to arrive. David responded, saying, “Raymond, my car is out back. Load up the hatchback with 200 signs, and you and I will spend the afternoon delivering and putting up signs. I’ll get the list from Gala.”

In fact, the two of us spent three hours putting up signs. But we’re talking David Eby here. VanRamblings would put up a sign. David would frown, saying “Two signs, at the corner of the lot, one facing west, the other facing north, for maximum visibility.” And so it went. David Eby very much in control.  200 signs up in 3 hours, sign requests completely up to date, David Eby once again being the hands on, take charge candidate satisfied and energized. That’s the David Eby we know.

Let’s talk about the issues that David Eby is running on.

British Columbia’s Housing Shortage. David Eby, as the feet on the ground visionary leader of British Columbia, working with his 55-member B.C. NDP caucus, has developed a realistic, multi-faceted plan to build housing for …

  • Members of our vulnerable population living on the streets, unhoused, or in substandard, rat-infested SROs located on Vancouver’s DTES, and similar areas in Prince George, Victoria, Kelowna, Nanaimo, and elsewhere will find accommodation in dignified housing in David Eby’s next term in office;
  • Seniors who have found themselves poorly housed, or on the verge of eviction arising from the build, build, build ethos of developers will be afforded accommodation in dignified, and supported where necessary, housing where no resident will pay more than 30% of their income to be housed;
  • Individuals with incomes between $30,000 and $88,000 annually, where one hundred thousand units of co-op housing will be built across the province on federal or provincial Crown land, a place you would own collectively with your neighbours, where no housing co-op member would pay more than 30% of their annual income in housing charge, where vulnerable, low income seniors, and families would be housed in safety and comfort;
  • British Columbians earning an income between $88,000 and $254,000 annually, there’s the B.C. Builds programme, dedicated to the development of new homes for middle-income working people living in communities throughout British Columbia;
  • British Columbians who want to own their own homes, where the B.C. NDP would subsidize 60% of the purchase of a home for first time buyers, and 40% of the purchase price of a home for homeowners who wish to upgrade their housing, in both instances allowing the new homeowners to reimburse government over a 25-year period for the portion of the house purchase subsidized by the province.

David Eby’s government is committed to training and hiring 700 new doctors, and 1500 new nurses each year until every British Columbian has a family doctor, and where wait times for those entering hospital are reduced or eliminated.

David Eby is the man with the plan, running against a tired old, right wing ideologue, bereft of ideas, not on your side, with no action plan whatsoever.

On Thursday, David Eby announced the B.C. NDP’s public transportation programme, which includes an extension of the Millennium line to UBC; a light rail system to Squamish and Whistler; and a rapid bus system to the North Shore, to eventually be replaced by light rail transit or Skytrain, and much more.

In the sprint to the finish in Campaign 2024, David Eby will have to dramatically up his energy level, develop the fire in his belly style of campaigning that Justin Trudeau perfected in the 2019 and 2021 federal election campaigns, where Trudeau carried a flagging Liberal party campaign on his back, emerging in both instances with a substantial minority government.


The Honourable Thomas R. Berger, leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party in 1969.

There’s been some talk among the punditry that has suggested in 2024 David Eby and the B.C. NDP are running a losing 1969 Tom Berger campaign.

B.C. NDP leader Tom Berger in 1969 ran a progressive campaign for office, but was viewed by the public as that most hoary of things: an “intellectual”, his style of campaigning human scale and reasoned, but devoid of warmth and the signifying entertainment value that always defines a successful campaign for office.

When the 1969 election results came in late on the summer evening  of August 27th, British Columbians had wholly rejected Tom Berger as B.C. NDP leader, awarding him only 18 seats — for a loss of four seats, including Mr. Berger’s own seat of Vancouver Burrard — in a 55-seat Legislature, instead re-electing the tired administration of Premier W.A.C. Bennett to a seventh consecutive term in office.

The David Eby VanRamblings knows will not, under any circumstance, allow his and our B.C. New Democratic Party campaign to falter and fail, and will in these final two weeks of Campaign 2024 turn on the jets to run a high energy, inspiring, populist campaign for office, a take charge campaign where David Eby will be louder, angrier, more pointed in his criticism of B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad, more visible and surrounded by thousands of supporters in ridings spanning the province, the galvanizing leader we know him to be and need him to be, imbued with the spirit and best interests of British Columbians front and centre in his campaign, rallying the citizens of our province in common cause to ensure going forward that there will be accessible and ready health care services for everyone, housing for everyone, a vibrant public transportation system, and a thriving green economy, the touchstones of the British Columbia New Democratic Party’s winning campaign for office in the 2024 British Columbia provincial election.

#BCPoli | B.C. NDP Advertising Fails, and Necessary Remedies

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B.C. NDP ads that have not resonated with a public anxious for change — whatever change might mean.

The 2024 provincial election in British Columbia is proving to be a pivotal moment for the British Columbia New Democratic Party (B.C. NDP), as they seek to retain power under the goal-directed, activist leadership of Premier David Eby.

However, their campaign ads have faced criticism for failing to connect with the electorate, especially at a time when voters are deeply concerned about housing, inflation, and health care. As British Columbians head to the polls, with advance voting already underway, the B.C. NDP needs to urgently revamp their messaging to effectively counter the rising threat posed by the possible, and increasingly likely, election of a  B.C. Conservative Party majority government on October 19.


To access the “John Rustad is a career politician” British Columbia New Democratic Party ad click here.

One of the B.C. NDP ads that has been running almost continually since long before the actual campaign got underway on September 21st, is the “John Rustad is a career politician, with a history of costing you more,” an ad that has driven CHEK-TV / Business in Vancouver Legislative reporter Rob Shaw around the bend.

Rob Shaw is anxious to point out that Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General before dissolution of the Legislature, has served in the Legislature dating back to 1997, when then B.C. NDP Premier Glen Clark appointed Mr. Farnworth Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing — a full eight years before Mr. Rustad entered the Legislature, as the MLA for Prince George–Omineca.

Where does the B.C. NDP get off, then, calling John Rustad a “career politician”?

One of the main critiques of the B.C. NDP’s 2024 campaign ads is that they have failed to boldly and effectively address the key concerns of voters across British Columbia, particularly around housing affordability and rent control.

Let’s take a look at the “rent cap” legislation brought in by populist, working class B.C. NDP Premier John Horgan in 2019, in response to a B.C. Rental Housing Task Force report, written by and presented to the Premier by B.C. NDP Member of the Legislature representing Vancouver-West End, Spencer Chandra Herbert.

Prior to January 2019, the rent increase formula was inflation plus two per cent.

Premier John Horgan told a full session of the Legislature in the spring of 2019 that rent increases of inflation plus two per cent was “simply not sustainable for renters, many of whom are on fixed incomes, to see their rent increase by more than inflation each and every year.” Premier Horgan then brought in legislation that capped rents at the rate of inflation that was passed by the House.

By far the number one concern that has been expressed to VanRamblings, in the lines we’ve waited in at this year’s 43rd edition of the Vancouver International Film Festival, on the street when we’ve run into friends, or in coffee shops around town is the proposal of B.C. Conservative Party leader John Rustad to remove rent caps that he considers to be a burden to landlords.

One longtime friend and professional associate told VanRamblings the following:

“For the past 25 years, I have lived in an apartment in Burnaby, where the rent has gone up most years. Even so, thanks to the NDP’s rent cap legislation — given how out of control the rental market has become in recent years — my rent is still an affordable $850 per month, given my long tenure. The resident who recently moved into the apartment next door to me pays the market rent for his apartment of $1575 a month. Should John Rustad revoke the NDP’s rent cap legislation, I expect that my rent will go up 10% a year until I am paying more than double what I’m paying now, as the landlord increases my rent to the market rate. I don’t know what I’d do in such a circumstance. I’d be in dire, unconscionable straits, and would have to consider moving out of town.”

The story above is writ large across the entire province of British Columbia, as 600,000 renters would find themselves in the same dire circumstance as my friend.

The response of the B.C. NDP “not on your side government” to the egregious circumstance that will befall renters should a John Rustad-led Conservative Party be elected to government:  a namby-pamby ad that glosses over the rent cap removal topic, underplaying its impact — if it addresses the consequences of the rent cap removal (which it utterly fails to do) at all — should John Rustad’s commitment to the landlord class — over renters — come to pass post the October 19th election.

That’s our David Eby for ya.

Playing it right down the middle, doesn’t want to appear too radical, doesn’t want to upset landlords — heaven forbid! — while he leaves hundreds of thousands of renters to hang out to dry. Mr. Eby: you are going to have to decide whose side you’re on: the landlord class, or all those British Columbians who pay rent.

What’s it gonna be, sir?

The B.C. New Democrats, with a little more than two weeks to go before Election Day, are going to have to decide whose side they’re on, in a way their lacklustre campaign has utterly failed to do as the 2024 provincial election has unfolded.

Enough with those ineffectual ads the B.C. NDP have run the first two weeks of the campaign, ads that woefully ill serve the interests of potential B.C. NDP voters.

What the B.C. NDP must do: run saturation ads featuring British Columbians from across the province, addressing in stark terms the impact that removal of the rent cap will have on their family: British Columbians in every region of the province, British Columbians in every age and cultural demographic, real “live” human beings — you know, the British Columbians the B.C. NDP campaign has steadfastly ignored to date. Stop with this arrogant, condescending top-down nonsense.

Does the B.C. NDP brain trust not see how wildly effective the ads are that are being run by the Democratic Party in Washington state, just below our border, ads that really resonate, ads that always, always, always feature Washingtonians warning their fellow citizens about the perils that would occur should Republicans be elected to lead state government? Why are we not seeing those kinds of ads here?

Let’s hear from real British Columbians — not an anonymous voice over in an ad.

All ads to be run by the B.C. New Democrats in the final two weeks of the campaign must feature British Columbians warning their fellow citizens on what a John Rustad government would mean to the quality of their lives, and their children’s lives, covering a range of topics: climate change — which Mr. Rustad effectively denies, John Rustad’s plans to ban books in public schools to stop what he considers to be “indoctrination” by teachers, the revocation of the SOGI 123 legislation that protects vulnerable tweens and teens enrolled in our public education system, a John Rustad-led government that would not build affordable housing co-ops on Crown land as proposed by David Eby’s NDP government, and so very much more.

Make no mistake: vulnerable British Columbians are going to die, who otherwise might live, should John Rustad be elected to government come October 19th.

That is a message that will resonate with voters, if told properly and bluntly.

#BCPoli | A Troubling Race in Vancouver-Point Grey

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In the 2024 British Columbia election, Premier David Eby is once again seeking re-election in his home riding of Vancouver-Point Grey, a constituency known for its progressive values and highly educated voters.


To read Vote Mate candidate profiles of the Vancouver-Point Grey candidates, click here.

David Eby, leader of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP) since November 2022, is facing several challengers, but the one drawing the most controversy is Paul Ratchford, the B.C. Conservative Party candidate.

Mr. Ratchford’s incendiary, partisan remarks about his now fellow B.C. Conservative candidate Elenore Sturko, a former B.C. United MLA, have raised concerns about homophobia and intolerance, potentially shaping the tone of the election campaign in Vancouver-Point Grey, and beyond.

In response to Ms. Sturko’s victory in the Surrey South by-election in 2022, Mr. Ratchford called the just elected MLA a “woke, lesbian, social justice warrior.”

Such language immediately triggered a backlash.

Ms. Sturko — a wife, a mother, and a high profile longtime spokesperson for the Surrey RCMP detachment, as well as a novice candidate in 2022 running with the recently renamed B.C. United political party  — was, as may be seen in the photo above, decidedly over the moon at her victory in the Surrey South riding.

Who, with any degree of integrity and humanity would seek to impinge in a partisan manner on Ms. Sturko’s good fortune in Surrey South, with a cruel comment on what must have been a joyous and halycon night for Elenore Sturko?

Ratchford, in referring to someone’s sexual orientation as part of a derogatory attack plays into harmful stereotypes and marginalizes the LGBTQ community.

The following day, Mr. Ratchford escalated his rhetoric by calling Ms. Sturko a “groomer,” a term long used in anti-LGBTQ narratives to falsely suggest LGBTQ individuals are trying to influence or “recruit” children into their community.

These remarks are not just harmful to Ms. Sturko, who has since joined the B.C. Conservative Party —  in 2024, running in the riding of Surrey-Cloverdale — but also to the broader LGBTQ community, and voters at large.

The “groomer” trope is especially damaging as it revives debunked homophobic and transphobic fears that still resonate in some corners of society.

Employing such a term in modern political discourse reflects an effort to exploit those fears, polarizing communities and harming vulnerable individuals.


L-r, candidates for office in Vancouver-Point Grey: David Eby, Paul Ratchford & Devanyi Singh

For candidate Paul Ratchford running to unseat David Eby in Vancouver-Point Grey — an urban riding that has historically voted for progressive candidates — such comments are likely to alienate a significant portion of the electorate.

Vancouver-Point Grey is home to a socially conscious, diverse population that places a high value on inclusivity and equality.

The area has a substantial LGBTQ population, and its voters are likely to be repelled by the kind of divisive rhetoric Mr. Ratchford has employed.

Residents of the Vancouver-Point Grey riding, many of whom work in education, health care, and in the public service, are generally attuned to the implications of such inflammatory language, recognizing its potential to incite hate and discrimination. Mr. Ratchford’s injurious remarks will likely reinforce perceptions of the B.C. Conservative Party as out of touch with Vancouver-Point Grey’s values.

In addition to offending the LGBTQ community, B.C. Conservative candidate Paul Ratchford’s comments are also problematic for the broader electorate.

Many voters in Vancouver-Point Grey prize civility and fairness in politics.

Personal attacks, particularly those based on sexual orientation, are viewed as inappropriate, but also as distractions from substantive policy discussions.

While issues like housing affordability, health care, and climate change dominate the concerns of Point Grey and Kitsilano residents, Mr. Ratchford’s rhetoric may be seen as a diversion that detracts from addressing these pressing issues.

Given the gravity of his comments, the question arises: Has Paul Ratchford apologized to Elenore Sturko, now his fellow B.C. Conservative candidate, for his earlier hurtful and incendiary remarks?

As of yet, no public apology has been issued.

The absence of an apology underscores the broader challenge facing the B.C. Conservative Party under John Rustad’s leadership.

While Elenore Sturko’s defection to the B.C. Conservatives suggests the party is attempting to broaden its appeal, Mr. Ratchford’s explosive comments stand in stark contrast to this effort, signaling internal contradictions within the party.

At the upcoming all-candidates meeting in Vancouver-Point Grey, where both Paul Ratchford and incumbent Member of the Legislature David Eby will share the stage, Premier Eby is likely to address these remarks head-on.

As a strong advocate for human rights and social justice, David Eby could seize the moment to challenge Mr. Ratchford’s intolerant views, framing the contest as a battle between progressive values and regressive intolerance.

David Eby’s response would resonate with the riding’s electorate, many of whom value inclusion and equality as fundamental principles of good governance.

Given David Eby’s calm demeanour and legal expertise, Mr. Eby will likely approach the issue with a measured tone, appealing to voters’ sense of fairness while subtly highlighting the unsuitability of his opponent.

Meanwhile, the B.C. New Democratic Party’s “war room” has proven adept at capitalizing on their opponents’ missteps.

With the release of footage earlier this week of B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad’s controversial views on COVID vaccines and his insinuation that Dr. Bonnie Henry’s rationale for decisions taken on how to fight COVID and keep British Columbians safe was, in his estimation, tied to efforts to ensure “population control,” … well, it’s entirely plausible the NDP might have additional material that could further undermine Mr. Ratchford’s credibility.

If the B.C. NDP possesses video of Paul Ratchford making similarly offensive comments about the LGBTQ community, they could release it strategically to reinforce the narrative that the B.C. Conservative Party harbours intolerant views.

Such a revelation would almost certainly derail Mr. Ratchford’s campaign, making it difficult for him to gain traction in a riding like Vancouver-Point Grey.

Ultimately, Paul Ratchford’s controversial remarks about Elenore Sturko are likely to be a significant liability in his campaign to unseat David Eby.

In a riding that embraces diversity and progressive values, Paul Ratchford’s mean-spirited and untoward commentary is out of sync with voters’ priorities.

As a result, Paul Ratchford’s contemptuous remarks could serve to strengthen David Eby’s chances for re-election, as voters in Vancouver-Point Grey seek a representative who reflects their commitment to tolerance, respect, and inclusivity.

The upcoming all-candidates meeting will offer a pivotal moment for these dynamics to play out in real time, potentially sealing the fate of Mr. Ratchford’s candidacy.