It was an upbeat and reflective Stephen Johnston in the wake of a third-place finish in West Âé¶čAV-Peachland on election night (Oct. 19).
âI was at peace coming into the end of the day here,â Johnston said about 90 minutes after the polls closed. âI knew I had done everything I could. I had a wonderful team behind me, a deep bench of great people.â
It was Johnstonâs first run at provincial politics. He garnered 5,511 votes (21.34 per cent) as an independent candidate. He finished behind B.C. NDP candidate Krystal Smith (7,118 votes/27.56 per cent) and winner Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Macklin McCall (13,194/51.09 per cent).
âI thought the results would be a little bit different than they were,â he said. âThatâs okay, not the day I guess.â
Johnston was one of a record 40 independent candidates (none were elected) running in this election, caused by former B.C. United Leader Kevin Falconâs decision to suspend the partyâs campaign in August.
He and Conservative Leader John Rustad promised a vetting of all candidates with the most suitable individual getting the nod to run. .
âEssentially, with the results weâre seeing tonight, the value a person brings doesn't matter itâs just about the party, Johnston said. âWeâve seen a lot of absentee candidates that took seats this election.â
Johnston added it was disrespectful to the electorate.
âTo not show up and allow people to experience who you are so they can feel confident in who theyâre electing.â
He also said that Rustad let the province down.
âIf he had actually done what he and Kevin misled us to believe, which is form a strong party out of the B.C. United candidates, it would be a lop-sided victory right now in the Conservative's favour.â
Johnston said he doesnât have much faith in the NDP either.
âI think the policies they have in place are hurting B.C. If we donât unwind some of the things theyâve been doing, getting our budget and spending under control weâre going to be in a rough place.â
Given the election results (no clear winner as of Oct. 20), Johnston said it may be again time to consider , noting the .
âI donât think it was run very well. We need to get there in B.C. This idea of 50 per cent plus one equals 100 per cent of the power, itâs not an accountable model.â
Johnston added he has no regrets about this election and will return to his city council seat next week.
âIâve run and lost before. I ran for mayor (West Âé¶čAV) in 2014. I ran to give people choice then. Iâm proud to serve my community. There will be things in the future - hard to say what they are right now.â
