When British Columbians go to the polls in the October provincial election, one of the longest-serving MLAs in B.C. history won’t be on the ballot.
BC United MLA Mike de Jong announced Wednesday he won’t be seeking re-election in his Abbotsford West riding — but admitted he’s being courted by the federal Conservatives.
“It seems incredible we are standing here this week and it was 30 years ago this week that I received the privilege of representing people and working for the people of British Columbia here in this legislative assembly. What fun, what an honour, what a privilege,” de Jong said. “There obviously have been frustrating days over the years, but the privilege and joy I have derived from being here is a gift I can never adequately repay.”
The eight-term MLA was first elected as a BC Liberal in 1994 in the then-Matsqui riding, where he defeated Social Credit Party leader Grace McCarthy by just 42 votes in a byelection squeaker.
After the BC Liberals formed government in 2001, he served as minister in a multitude of portfolios, including health, attorney general, public safety and finance — a portfolio he held up to the BC Liberals 2017 election defeat.
“The biggest criticism I seem to get, is that I was too stingy or too careful with public dollars,” De Jong said of his time as finance minister. “All right, I’ll take that criticism, because when COVID did hit, B.C. was in better shape than any other province in the country to deal with it.”
Speaking at an unrelated event Wednesday, Premier David Eby said that while he’d sparred frequently with de Jong, his longtime political opponent had contributed much to the province, and always did so with respect.
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“Mike and I haven’t agreed on a lot over the years, there is no question about that, but the one thing I will say about Mike de Jong is he never made it personal,” Eby said. “I always had the sense when dealing with him that he wanted to be professional, that we were both involved in politics, and that while we might disagree, he would be friendly, he would be willing to engage and he would be clear about where his lines were.”
The announcement means that come October’s election, BC United will be without incumbent candidates in 11 of the 28 seats the party won in the 2020 vote.
University of the Fraser Valley political scientist Hamish Telford said those losses represent an opportunity for renewal for the party formerly known as the BC Liberals, but could also come with a political cost.
“The challenge for BC United is that the rebranding exercise has not gone well and people don’t know who the party is and when so many of the old guard retire, then you lose the incumbency advantage you typically get in an election,” he said. “(BC United Leader) Kevin Falcon has a huge challenge on his hands to make this rebranding exercise work, and to make what are going to be his new candidates known to their communities and to his voters.”
At Wednesday’s announcement, de Jong also confirmed he’d been approached by both members and party brass with the Conservative Party of Canada, but hadn’t yet decided whether he would make the jump to the national stage.
“I have some views on the direction the country is going; I am troubled by certain aspects of that,” he said.
Telford said de Jong would be a “huge catch” for the federal party, who — should it win the next election — would find themselves short on MPs with governing and cabinet experience.
“Someone like Mike De Jong who has been sort of minister of everything — finance, attorney general, health — he brings a wealth of governing experience to the Conservative benches,” he said. “He’s a bigger catch for them than they are for him.”
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