West Vancouver-Capilano’s BC United MLA Karin Kirkpatrick is cancelling her plans for retirement and running for re-election as an independent.
Kirkpatrick, who made the announcement Monday morning, said she felt compelled to run again to give centrist voters an option on the ballot, following the absorption of the BC United party into the BC Conservatives.
“I heard loud and clear from members of our community they don’t want to vote for an NDP government, but they feel deeply uncomfortable supporting the BC Conservatives, a party that is not ready to govern and does not reflect their beliefs. They want to see fiscal responsibility and a strong economy, but they don’t want to vote for a party that has tolerated conspiracy theorists and extreme views,” she said.
At least six other incumbent BC United MLAs have declared that they too will run as independents. With a very tight race between the NDP and Conservatives in province-wide polling, Kirkpatrick said it is entirely possible that a small group of independent MLAs might end up holding the balance of power in a minority government situation.
“Those independent voices will have an opportunity to moderate government and to work together to advance policy that shares our beliefs,” she said. “A government built on good principles, trusting science, listening to facts and making sure we don’t scapegoat any members of our diverse community.”
Independents beating out candidates from established parties in B.C. is rare but not without precedent. Delta South voters twice elected Vicki Huntington as an independent in 2009 and 2013.
West Vancouver-Capilano was one of the safest seats for BC United's precursor the BC Liberals, with the party consistently winning with more than 50 per cent of the popular vote.
Kirkpatrick acknowledged that she was starting the campaign from scratch without the support and cash of a party apparatus behind her, but she said she has been inundated with offers from volunteers to help with door-knocking and fundraising.
“I’m very confident that, though it’s going to be a tough campaign to mount, I’ve got enough people around me that we can make it happen,” she said.
Kirkpatrick’s predecessor in the legislature Ralph Sultan, who served as the riding’s BC Liberal MLA for five terms, was on hand to endorse Kirkpatrick’s candidacy. Rather than splitting the vote, Sultan said he saw the rise of independent candidates as a “golden moment” for the North Shore.
“We’ve seen what polarization does in the United States. We don’t need to import it here into Canada,” he said.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, have recently named West Vancouver Schools trustee Lynn Block as their candidate for West Vancouver-Capilano, replacing Jaclyn Aubichon who had been the party’s nominee for much of 2024.
Block did not respond to an interview request but did send a statement.
“The most important thing for the North Shore is that we don’t have another NDP government – and the BC Conservative Party is focused on that. A vote for an independent is a vote for the NDP,” she said. “That’s why I decided to step forward in this election as the BC Conservative candidate for the West Vancouver-Capilano riding. I am committed to working tirelessly to ensure that our Conservative team gets our community and province back on track. We need a leadership change, and together, we can make that happen this October. My promise to the residents of the North Shore is that I will be a voice for our community, advocating for the changes we need to thrive once again.”
The BC NDP is fielding Sara Eftekhar, a nurse practitioner and activist for access to health care.
The BC Green Party has not yet nominated a candidate in the riding.
