Former BC United candidate Michael Grenier has withdrawn his candidacy for the riding of Cariboo-Chilcotin.
On Facebook on Sept. 13, Grenier stated that "following recent decisions of BC United Party leadership, and after careful consideration with my campaign team and fellow BCU candidates," he made the decision to withdraw from the race.
In a phone interview with the 100 Mile Free Press, Grenier went into more detail, stating that proceeding as an independent candidate would mean having to re-establish the campaign among other factors.
"I don't have a platform that I can introduce as an Independent. It's not like myself can introduce the tax policies. I can advocate for them, but I cannot introduce them," Grenier stated.
Grenier extended his best wishes to BC United candidates who are continuing as Independents.
"They offer a chance for stronger constituency-driven representation and potentially, a shared balance of power in the Legislative Assembly," Grenier said.
As for his reaction to Kevin Falcon suspending BC United's 2024 provincial election campaign to endorse the Conservative Party of BC, Grenier said that he was astonished. He learned about the plan at exactly the same time as everyone watching the press conference between Falcon and John Rustad, the leader of the Conservatives.
"We literally had notice from Kevin Falcon on a Zoom call, five minutes before the press conference - that he was going into the press conference, and he simply said that as the leader, he had made the decision and that we had to trust him - and that this was the best decision for everybody involved, although he didn't consult everybody and then he entered into the press conference," Grenier said.
Additionally, Grenier encouraged Cariboo-Chilcotin residents to consider current MLA and Conservative Party of BC candidate Lorne Doerkson.
"Lorne assured me of his commitment to represent all constituents of this vast riding, including newly integrated TNRD communities in the south."
Grenier added that the BC NDP do not have the current management skills to solve the problems in the riding, such as hospital closures, which particularly affect Williams Lake.
"So you have to look for alternatives - and I guess the BC Conservatives are the only other credible alternative, now that BC United is out."
Finally, he thanked his supporters for the enthusiastic support and for sharing the campaign with family and friends - as well as acknowledged the efforts of his wife Doreen, his family and his campaign chair Alp Isin.
Grenier stated in the Facebook post that he will be continuing to advocate for local government initiatives that would improve the lives of TNRD residents, and will be looking forward to collaborating with provincial and federal representatives to complete ongoing projects.
"I had a wonderful time meeting with the constituents of Cariboo-Chilcotin - I engaged with folks at the doorstop," Grenier noted about his time campaigning in the riding.
