Coalition Vancouver
Former municipal party
LeaderWai Young
PresidentPeter Labrie
FoundedJune 21, 2018 (2018-06-21)
Membership (2018)1,000+[1]
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right to right-wing
Slogan"100% for the people!"
Website
coalitionvancouver.ca

Coalition Vancouver was a municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, founded by former Conservative member of Parliament Wai Young on June 21, 2018. It supported the mayoral candidacy of Young in the 2018 municipal election, and ran on a populist platform.

History

Wai Young announced her mayoral campaign for the 2018 municipal election and the creation of Coalition Vancouver on June 21, 2018.[1][2] In a speech given in front of city hall, Young presented her populist platform and some of Coalition Vancouver's policies, such as cancelling what she called "luxury" bike lanes, increasing community consultation, and eliminating paid parking on Sundays.[1] Young's opposition to bike lanes was a frequent talking point during the 2018 municipal election campaign,[3] a position which earned her harsh criticism from some local commentators.[4]

Coalition Vancouver's school board team was led by Ken Denike and Sophia Woo, both of whom had served as elected school board trustees.[5] The pair were expelled from the centre-right Non-Partisan Association (NPA) in 2014 after they called for a delay to planned revisions to the Vancouver School Board's transgender policy.[6]

Coalition Vancouver announced in a press statement released on October 11, 2018, that it was filing a civil lawsuit for defamation against Charles Menzies, a UBC professor and Board of Governors faculty representative. In the statement, the party denounced an email posted by Menzies to one of his personal blogs, in which he described Coalition Vancouver as "alt-right", "anti-gay and anti-trans extremists", and "fear mongers engaged in discrimination". Coalition Vancouver argued that the anti-LGBTQ+ claims made by Menzies were unfounded, and stated that "Coalition Vancouver and its candidates support the LGBTQ+ community and its members." Menzies' legal counsel responded by stating that they had not yet received a notice of civil claim, and pointed out Menzies was "exercising his right to political expression."[7]

Ideology

Coalition Vancouver was a centre-right conservative party, but its policies were described by some critics as right-wing.[8] The party claimed to be anti-establishment and populist, asserting that all other municipal parties were under the influence of special interest groups, big business, and trade unions, while it was not.[9]

Coalition Vancouver was fiscally conservative; its 2018 platform called for reductions in government spending and provincial taxes. For example, the party proposed keeping and renovating the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, in contrast to Vision Vancouver's more costly plan to demolish them.[10] It also opposed the BC NDP's "school tax", calling it "socialist capital appropriation".[1]

Coalition Vancouver's housing policies proposed neighbourhood-specific densification plans, the construction of entry-level homes (i.e. purpose-built new rental and co-op housing stock) and allowing one additional rental unit or laneway home for each detached home.[11] The party believed that the city's housing problem was affordability, rather than shortage.[12][13][14] This drew criticism from housing analysts, who argued that there is a housing shortage in Vancouver and that the party lacked a firm plan to deal with the issue.[15]

Electoral results

Mayoral
Election year Candidate Votes  % Position Result
2018 Wai Young 11,886 6.86 4th Not elected
Vancouver City Council
Election year Votes  % Seats +/–
2018 98,776 7.05
0 / 11

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McElroy, Justin (June 21, 2018). "'Free the roads': Wai Young joins Vancouver's race for mayor on anti-bike lane platform". CBC. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  2. ↑ Tanner, Adrienne (September 28, 2018). "Former Conservative MP Wai Young could be spoiler in Vancouver mayor's race". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  3. ↑ Quinn, Stephen (October 4, 2018). "Election Cycle: Wai Young makes 'luxurious' bike lanes a target". CBC News. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  4. ↑ Smith, Charlie (June 22, 2018). "Memo to Wai Young: Bike lanes save lives—and crackpot transportation policies jeopardize the economy". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  5. ↑ Pablo, Carlito (August 16, 2018). "Ken Denike and Sophia Woo ponder return to Vancouver school board in fall election". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Ken Denike, Sophia Woo ousted from NPA caucus over LGBTQ stance". CBC News. June 13, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  7. ↑ Nguyen, Alex; Vescera, Zak (October 11, 2018). "Vancouver political party says it's suing UBC prof for defamation". The Ubyssey. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  8. ↑ Smith, Charlie (September 24, 2018). "Vancouver mayoral candidate Wai Young's party calls for independent police investigation of rival candidate". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ Howell, Mike (September 25, 2018). "Vancouver mayoral candidates promise to disclose donors before election". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Coalition Vancouver | 100% For The People". coalitionvancouver.ca. Coalition Vancouver. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  11. ↑ Cruickshank, Ainslie (October 18, 2018). "Who are you voting for? Here's a breakdown of key promises from Vancouver's mayoral candidates and political parties". Toronto Star. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Housing Policies | Coalition Vancouver". coalitionvancouver.ca. Coalition Vancouver. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  13. ↑ Smith, Charlie (September 18, 2018). "Mayoral candidate Wai Young's Coalition Vancouver says the affordable housing crisis is not a supply problem". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  14. ↑ Smith, Charlie (September 21, 2018). "Wai Young's Coalition Vancouver just attacked me for writing two "twisted" articles". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  15. ↑ Bula, France (October 12, 2018). "In the Vancouver election, it's all about housing". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
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