Rural BC Party

The Rural BC Party is a defunct minor political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party was co-founded in 2018 by Houston councillor Jonathan Van Barneveld and then-mayor of Telkwa Darcy Repen. The party's stated objective was to provide representation and support to people living in rural areas of British Columbia, believing that the province's more major parties focus excessively on urban areas.[1] The party voluntarily deregistered on August 15, 2023.[2]

Rural BC Party
LeaderJonathan Van Barneveld
Founded2018
Dissolved2023
HeadquartersHouston, British Columbia
IdeologyRegionalism
Rural advocacy
ColorsPurple and blue

Policies

The Rural BC Party's main focus is on representing the needs of British Columbians in rural areas, with the party itself stating that the province's main political parties focus far too heavily on urban areas, such as those around Vancouver, Victoria, and Kelowna. One of the Rural BC Party's goals is to elect members to the Legislative Assembly representing a constituency rather than a party.[3]

Electoral performance
Ridings which the Rural BC Party planned to nominate candidates for (in red), and the Stikine electoral district (in blue) which was the only riding the party nominated a candidate for in the 2020 election.

At the Rural BC Party's inception in 2018, the party intended to nominated candidates for the planned 2021 election only in the 23 rural ridings (e.g. those outside of the Greater Vancouver, Fraser Valley, southern Vancouver Island, Nanaimo and Kelowna).[4] In 2018, some analysts theorized that the Rural BC Party's creation could pose a threat to the support of the British Columbia Liberal Party in rural areas.[5]

When a snap election was called by British Columbia premier John Horgan in September 2020 however, the party struggled to organize candidates in the time given.[6] The party's only nomination in the 2020 provincial general election was within the Stikine electoral district with one of the party's co-founders, Darcy Repen.[7] The Rural BC Party received 754 votes within the Stikine riding, earning them 10.42% of the popular vote there and qualified them for the provincial vote subsidy.[8]

Provincial elections
Election Leader Candidates run Seats won Votes Vote share Seat change Position Status
2020 Jonathan Van Barneveld
1 / 87
0 / 87
 754 0.04% N/A Steady 10th No seats

See also

References
  1. "New political party focuses on rural B.C." Prince George Daily News. September 7, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  2. "Volume CLXIII, No. 34". The British Columbia Gazette. Government of British Columbia. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  3. "New political party promises to be a 'relentless voice' for rural B.C." CHEK News. September 6, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  4. Wadhwani, Ashley (September 7, 2018). "New B.C. party looks to represent rural voters in next election". Kelowna Capital News. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  5. MacLeod, Andrew (September 6, 2018). "New BC Rural Party Could Threaten Liberals, Says Analyst". The Tyee. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  6. "Minor parties scramble to get candidates nominated for Stikine". Terrace Standard. September 24, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  7. "Candidate List". Elections BC. September 17, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  8. "2020 Provincial General Election Preliminary Voting Results for Abbotsford South". electionsbcenr.blob.core.windows.net. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
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