The chance of there being an early provincial election seems to be fading, says Randy White, but the newly invigorated BC Conservative Party is getting ready, just in case.
White, a former Conservative MP who sits on an advisory board for the provincial party, said party leader John Cummins has been touring the mid-Island over the past week, visiting with party operatives in a bid to make sure the party is ready to run, should the writ be dropped.
“He is gearing up for an election, but we’re not sure if there will be one,” White said from his home in Qualicum Beach.
“He was here in Qualicum Beach last Saturday and then he went to Port Alberni and he’ll be coming back here for a full strategic meeting with people who have put their names in to be candidates, along with regional representatives and local constituency presidents.”
White said recent events on the political front have made his party more popular than ever.
“The more the Liberals continue with things like the carbon tax increase, the more members we are getting,” he said. “Our information is they are not too anxious to go to the polls because we are too high — about 19 per cent.”
Although White said the party has yet to nominate a candidate in the Parksville-qualicum riding, there have been some promising expressions of interest.