Achi news desk-
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a rally in Ottawa on March 24.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
As federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre prepares to hold a rally Monday on Vancouver Island, a new poll suggests the provincial Conservative Party in British Columbia is benefiting from its popularity even though there are no official ties between the two parties.
Fifty-six per cent of likely federal Conservative voters support the provincial Conservatives over the other centre-right party, BC United, according to a survey by the Angus Reid Foundation.
The same poll found that two in five federal Conservative supporters say they don’t know BC Conservative Leader John Rustad, but those who do are more positive than not in their opinion of him.
Angus Reid’s findings are based on an online survey conducted between February 28 and March 6, with a random survey of 809 adult respondents. He has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The Poilievre effect appears to be having a dramatic effect on politics in British Columbia, with the province’s Conservative Party, which has two members in the 87-seat legislature, recently surging in support over the Official Opposition BC United, which has 26 a seat
At one time, the BC United party ran under the name BC Liberals, and was the dominant party challenging the NDP in the province. The NDP currently governs under Premier David Eby and holds 55 seats.
The BC Liberals governed from 2001 to 2017 under premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark. Current BC United leader Kevin Falcon was a senior cabinet minister for both premiers.
As the two conservative parties in the province challenge each other, both highlight their links to Mr Poilievre.
On March 12, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad posted on X, stating that his party stands with Mr. Poilievre calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mr. Eby to “axe the tax” – eliminate carbon pricing. The posting included pictures of Mr Poilievre and Mr. Rustad side by side.
Two days later, Mr Falcon, speaking on behalf of BC United, posted on X with an image of him shaking Mr. Poilievre, and says he is joining top Conservative and Liberal officials from across Canada “in line with Pierre Poilievre’s call to increase progress. British Columbians simply cannot afford another David Eby NDP carbon tax hike. “
British Columbia and Quebec have their own carbon pricing systems, meaning the federal carbon price is not applied there. In 2008, BC introduced North America’s first rough price on carbon.
The provincial Conservatives have promised to scrap provincial carbon pricing. BC United would eliminate the levy if the federal Conservatives win power in the next election and get rid of it across the country.
In Nanaimo on Monday, Mr. Poilievre is making his case for getting rid of federal carbon pricing.
“There is no doubt that there has been some overlap and support as a result of that,” said the province’s Conservative Leader, John Rustad, in an interview about Mr Poilievre’s campaigning.
“We appreciate that, obviously,” he said.
Mr. said Rustad that he had met Mr. Poilievre a few times, and some members of his party support the policies of the federal party, but there is no official connection between the two.
Mr. Rustad once served as a cabinet minister with the BC Liberals, holding the Aboriginal relations and forests portfolios under Ms Clark. He was dismissed from the BC Liberals by Mr. Falcon in August, 2022, for sharing a post on social media questioning climate change.
Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Foundation, said that although Mr. Rustad is quite unknown to many British Columbians, and certainly less known than BC United Leader Mr. Falcon, his party receives the same level of support.
“So that speaks to the power of branding and the power of the Conservative label and that very clearly elevates the BC Conservative Party.”
Angus Reid’s analysis shows that Mr. Rustad higher than Mr. Falcon.
Political scientist Hamish Telford of the University of the Fraser Valley said he has seen no sign that Mr. Poilievre specifically favors one of the centre-right parties over the other – he has been taking on Mr Eby, most recently over carbon pricing.
“But I think it’s true that the BC Conservatives are benefiting simply through brand recognition from the popularity of Mr. Poilievre,” he said.
Mr. Falcon was not available for an interview, but Adam Wilson, director of communications for BC United, said the BC Conservatives were “a non-serious party that received 1.91 per cent of the vote in 2020 with no connection to the federal Conservative Party of Canada.”
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