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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

UNGER: That gets the speculation going … who is going to run for whom?



UPDATE CBC News (Oct 24, 2018 11:29 AM)  ...  "BC MP Sheila Malcolmson to leave federal NDP to seek provincial seat"

One election is in the vault, but there’s no rest in politics – we’re heavily into a by-election which hasn’t been called yet. MLA Len Krog’s election as mayor of Nanaimo will create a vacancy in the Legislature when he resigns. 

I wonder if Leonard considered the political avalanche he may have triggered. The provincial by-election could possibly trigger a federal by-election here. Or if things don’t work out, a surprise provincial election.

Krog’s resignation may come soon. Premier John Horgan has already announced that he wants an MLA in the House before the budget debate, which usually takes place in February. So a January by-election seems almost certain. The stakes are mighty big in this one, the result could change who governs our province.

If the NDP candidate wins, it’s status quo. If the Liberals squeak out a win, that could spell a full-blown provincial election. A Liberal win would leave the NDP / Greens having the same number of seats as the Liberals, giving the Lieutenant Governor little choice but to call a general election.




If the BC Liberals and BC NDP think they can ignore the Green vote in the by-election they will be making a monstrous miscalculation. 

With the form of representation now in balance, the Greens will likely pour all available resources into this by-election, if for no other reason than to build up their popular vote percentage. They will need that support if they want to make a serious impact under their hoped-for future proportional representation.

And that gets the speculation going. Who is going to run for whom? When all else fails, we turn to the grapevine to get the whispers. 

The loudest whispering has Nanaimo - Ladysmith Member or Parliament (MP) Sheila Malcolmson opting for provincial politics, giving up her seat in Parliament. That’s the word around the Legislature press gallery. She has been a popular MP, therefore a great candidate to replace Krog. 

Of course, that could trigger a by-election for the federal seat, even before the federal general election next October. And a possible provincial general election.

So, how could the BC Liberals match that? A number of names have popped up, but how do you get someone prominent? Mayoral candidate Don Hubbard’s name has been mentioned on social media. Could he be the one?

I thought I had “the big one” but that rumour petered out very quickly when the suspect said “no”.

Stay tuned.




About Merv Unger:

A pro-wrestling Hall of Famer, Merv Unger retired from journalism after a 50-year career, followed by six years on Nanaimo city council. He now operates Nanaimo's Daily News at your Fingertip after the print newspaper shut down. A genuine curmudgeon, he now lives the good life in Nanaimo, B.C.
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