“David Eby is doing such a great job I want to impregnate him and for him to have my babies.”
So begins the “David Eby Appreciation thread,” a Reddit-based tribute to B.C.’s attorney general that had drawn nearly 170 comments and over 600 upvotes as of Tuesday night.
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Posted to the sharing website on Monday, the thread has drawn plenty of attention from Reddit users who have glowing praise for the BC NDP MLA.
The thread started with a message that said Eby is “restoring my faith in politicians. Anyone else feel the same way? Discuss.”
That message was updated the following morning, with the user saying he posted it when he was “drunk.”
“David Eby is fantastic, although I still don’t know how this thread did as well as it is,” the user wrote.
And he clearly wasn’t alone.
“If David Eby were your baby daddy he’d pay child support every month — two days early,” said one user (emphasis theirs).
“If David Eby were your baby daddy he’d help you out with some of your housework when dropping off the child support, just to ensure everything is OK,” said another.
One user said Eby used to be a “awesome neighbour” who never caused them any grief in a market rental building.
Yet another user, who identified as Eby’s constituent, professed “tons of respect” for the MLA.
“I came across his booth at Greek Day yesterday and he was really receptive to my concerns about the B.C. government’s pursuit of LNG projects,” the user wrote.
“He’s been through the wringer a bit locally with the backlash to the property surtax, though, and I really hope that doesn’t jeopardize his re-election in three years!”
READ MORE: Point Grey homeowners grill David Eby over school tax on $3M homes
Eby has certainly had a full plate since he became attorney general.
He’s taken on files such as ICBC, which he called a “dumpster fire” after the insurer was left with a near $1-billion loss.
He’s also been the point man on the province’s referendum on electoral reform, which, it was confirmed earlier this month, will see British Columbians choose between the current First Past the Post voting system, and any of three versions of proportional representation.
Eby has likewise made a name for himself tackling issues such as housing affordability, and the influx of foreign capital in Vancouver real estate.
One of the more defining moments of his term could come on Wednesday morning, with the release of Peter German’s review of anti-money laundering practices in B.C., which is expected to focus closely on laundering through casinos.
Eby has said B.C. is in a crisis that has seen drug dealers launder their money in B.C. casinos before it’s sent off to China via underground banks located in Vancouver.
That money is then moved back into Vancouver luxury real estate through shell companies.
“Whether you’re talking about fentanyl or whether you’re talking about real estate, it’s a crisis,” Eby told CKNW’s The Jon McComb Show in April.
But, as CKNW’s Lynda Steele pointed out on Tuesday, not everyone is in Eby’s corner.
Those who aren’t likely include owners of $3-million homes in Eby’s own riding who are now subject to an additional school tax of 0.2 per cent on the portion of a property’s value over that threshold.
One sign at an anti-school tax rally in May said, “Communist heartless Eby must resign!!!”
Eby had planned a town hall on the school tax for May 1, but it was later rescheduled citing safety concerns.
The town hall later took place on May 27, with Eby facing down a room that included several people opposed to the new tax.
He wouldn’t be shaken from his position on the tax.
“The tax is part of government’s fiscal plan, and government is investing in things like schools and health care and other initiatives to make life better for British Columbians, and we’re going to continue to do that,” Eby said.
- With files from Tanya Beja, Sam Cooper and Simon Little