Last week, on Wednesday night, the BC NDP executive voted to disqualify Anjali Appadurai, the outsider-environmentalist candidate, from the party’s leadership contest. David Eby was declared BC’s premier-designate on Friday. These executive actions melded a cataclysmic capstone to a polarizing race. The party’s spectacular factionalization stands in sharp relief to its initial promise as a consolidative exercise. In the end, the campaign ended as pundits had initially predicted: with the acclamation of Eby. Few predicted the internal wreckage in the interim.
Electoral Entitlement
The early race was marked by many party heavy-weights kicking their leadership aspirations down the road. Once Eby’s main rivals – including Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon, and Finance Minister Selina Robinson — announced their abstentions, the pathway was cleared for an unopposed victory. On July 19th, Eby formally declared his candidacy with a resounding slate of endorsements; he had rallied the support of 48 MLAs and a coronation appeared preordained.
The entitlement of his campaign was infamously revealed when Appadurai threw her hat into the ring. Eby reacted with petulance, claiming that he was “frustrated because obviously, she appears to be the only other candidate, which means, assuming I’m successful, it delays moving into the office by several months.” This presumption of success brewed complacency. From the launch of her campaign, on August 15th, to September 18th, the Appadurai campaign spent between $7,400 and $8,672 on twenty-eight Facebook and Instagram ads. In contrast, remarkably, Eby’s organizers disbursed as little as $302 in a similar time frame. Eby’s camp entered a race that it was not prepared to run.
BC’s NDP: The ‘D’ stands for Division
Irrespective of whether the allegations against the Appadurai campaign constitute legitimate grounds for disqualification, the BC NDP must redouble its grassroots outreach. Optically, this race has been disastrous for its brand: an idealistic, upstart, and anti-establishment candidate was disqualified in favour of the preferred candidate of the party’s top brass. The decision prompted accusations of backroom puppeteering. The radioactive fallout may have an uncomfortably protracted half-life. Many Appadurai supporters are instructing their disaffected brethren to retain their memberships (for the sole purpose of enacting retribution). Activist channels are swirling with calls to hold the NDP executive to account at the next NDP convention.
The party recognizes its peril. Although Premier John Horgan may be striking a defensive note, accusing New Democrats who criticize the party executive of “thuggery,” Eby’s team has been calling for unity. On Thursday, Eby extended an olive branch to the Appadurai groundswell — penning a missive that praised Appadurai for “her passion and energy.” The letter addressed her supporters directly, in the second person, noting that “she also brought many British Columbians to our party, some for the first time — maybe you are one of these new members,” and that no “matter who you intended to support, for many of you, news of her disqualification will be saddening.” This act of reconciliation was swiftly followed by a promise of premierly action. During his press conference on Friday, Eby outlined his plan for his first 100 days in office.
The Path Forward
This dual-tact posture ––“conciliatory-action”–– is the right approach if the party wants to heal its bifurcation. Eby also has the advantage of time on his side. On Friday, he assured supporters that he is committed to not calling an early election before the province’s next fixed date: on Oct. 19, 2024. This grants him two years — maximally — to intercede in the dominant issues preoccupying British Columbians: housing, health care, public safety, and climate change. It also affords him two years to absorb the lesson of this leadership race: the ordination of executive authority is incompatible with democracy. Elections should never be taken for granted.
