Sonia Furstenau staying on as B.C. Greens leader, party says
Furstenau lost her seat in the legislature in Saturday's provincial election
B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau will continue to lead her party despite losing her seat in the legislature, the party says.
The announcement was made in an email sent out by the party Tuesday afternoon, in which Furstenau acknowledged the Greens' potential role as kingmakers in a tight race between the B.C. NDP and Conservative Party of B.C. that still hasn't produced a clear winner.
She said the results speak to the need for the Greens to have a voice in provincial politics.
"British Columbians demonstrated that they don't trust any one party with 100 per cent of the power," said Furtsenau in a written statement. "They need our next government to leave the negativity and toxicity of the campaign behind, get down to work and start delivering for them."
Furstenau lost in the riding of Victoria-Beacon Hill by 3,688 votes — a 13.7 per cent margin — to the NDP's Grace Lore.
Furstenau had previously represented the riding of Cowichan Valley but opted this year to compete in the Beacon Hill riding, which has been held by the NDP since 2005.
The party said in the statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau's leadership as they "navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature."
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with the counting of mail-in and absentee ballots set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby said in a news conference Tuesday that while the election outcome is uncertain, it's "very likely" the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he contacted to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens' showing.
But he says the Green Party told the NDP they are "not ready yet" for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
With files from The Canadian Press