BC NDP leader David Eby’s Vancouver Island tour ends in Greater Victoria

NDP Leader David Eby on Friday questioned British Columbia Conservative Party Leader John Rustad’s decision to forego a televised leadership debate on Vancouver Island.

“I’m willing to have a debate with John Rustad,” he said. “I want to talk about your problems.”

Rustad said at an appearance in Surrey that it made no sense to have two successive leaders debate. The debate in question was organized by TV station CHEK in Victoria and was scheduled for October 9, the day after the main televised debate organized by a consortium of broadcasters of which CHEK is not a member.

Eby made the comments in the Greater Victoria community of Oak Bay, the final stop on a Vancouver Island campaign tour that began Thursday night in Nanaimo. He also made stops in Cumberland, Parksville and North Cowichan. Local NDP candidates Diane Gibson, Nina Krieger, Grace Lore, Ravi Parmar, Sarah Riddell and Darlene Rotchford joined him.

The same was true for the 200-plus fans who also had the opportunity to watch Eby try his hand at cricket during the estimated 10-minute stop. He also used the opportunity to urge supporters to knock on doors.

Friday afternoon’s appearance follows an announcement about the accelerated rollout of prefabricated housing and Rustad’s publication of the Surrey Conservatives’ housing policy. This also comes after the BC NDP released a series of tweets from Conservative candidates that they say show “several (Rustad’s) candidates are openly promoting two pro-Trump conspiracy theories.”

Black Press Media has reached out to Rustad for comment.

More will follow