Here are some key quotes from the B.C. party leaders’ debate

The leaders of British Columbia’s main parties have squared off in their only televised debate ahead of the Oct. 19 provincial election.

Here are some quotes from NDP Leader David Eby, B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad and Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau:

“I was on my way over here, and on the corner of Robson and Hornby, there was an individual who died, and there was emergency people rushing (around). This person died from an overdose. This is the British Columbia that David Eby has created.” — Rustad describing a scene on his way to the debate in downtown Vancouver.

“Climate change is real. Vaccines work. We don’t call gay people groomers. We respect people. We respect Indigenous people. We don’t promote hate and division.” — Eby describing his party’s positions, in apparent reference to Rustad’s.

“What these two are offering is either more of the same or back to the past.” — Furstenau on Eby and Rustad.

“I’ll ask you this: in seven years of NDP has anything been better? Has housing improved?” — Rustad.

“The NDP seem to have approached health care with the idea that there’s nothing that one more V.P. and seven more project managers can’t solve when, in fact, what we have to do is ensure that health-care spending is being focused on the delivery of health care by the professionals who were trained to do it.” — Furstenau.

“We tried it. It didn’t produce the results. So, we had to change course.” — Eby on decriminalization.

“John Rustad’s vision for this province is one that’s rooted somewhere around 1957. I mean, he cannot look ahead because he can only look back. He is so limited in his imagination of what’s possible.” — Furstenau.

“The reality is, I’m triple vaccinated. I’m not anti-vaxx. I’m anti-mandate.” — Rustad responding to Eby calling him an anti-vaxxer.

“We don’t have a candidate that says vaccines give you AIDS.” — Eby on the B.C. Conservatives.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press