BC elections show Canada's political centre shrinking

Significance

The move by BC United leader Kevin Falcon to fold his party into the BC Conservative Party on its political right was made in an effort to avoid a split on the right that would allow the left-wing BC New Democratic Party (NDP) government to win re-election.

Impacts

• If support for the right in this election reflects subsequent federal voting, most BC seats in Ottawa will go to the Conservatives.
• Jagmeet Singh, the NDP leader at the federal level, will continue to struggle to raise his party’s national profile.
• A Canadian shift to the right will have implications for climate change policy and approaches to the privatisation of government services.