John Horgan David Eby In 2022, the British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP) held a leadership election to select a new leader.
As the NDP has formed the government of the province since 2017, newly elected leader David Eby was subsequently sworn in as premier of British Columbia.
Horgan had recently faced criticism for pushing forward a plan to redevelop the Royal BC Museum for $789 million, which had been reversed.
[6] Following Horgan's announcement, political commentators suggested that several cabinet ministers might be considering running for the leadership: David Eby, Ravi Kahlon, Selina Robinson, Katrina Chen, Nathan Cullen, Adrian Dix, Rob Fleming, Bowinn Ma, Josie Osborne and Jennifer Whiteside.
[28] Appadurai ran as a democratic socialist,[29][30] reframing how the provincial executive approaches decision making away from industry,[31] along with proposing a transition that put workers first.
[28] Appadurai expressed her critique of the incumbent NDP government's failures on the issues of "climate, affordability, and on stopping ... wealth accumulation".
[31] Appadurai claimed she would prioritize creating homes for homeless and vulnerable British Columbians, as well as ensuring residential buildings were equipped with sustainable cooling mechanisms.
[26] On October 13, Appadurai's campaign released a set of promises, including increasing the pay of nurses by 25%, providing free mental health care for all British Columbians, removing the three-month wait period for immigrants and returnees to receive healthcare, and implementing a provincial safe supply program.
[32][33][34] Several anonymous MLAs speaking to Global News expressed their frustrations with Appadurai, who they described as an "interloper" with "no role in [the NDP's] success".
[45][39][47] Appadurai was critical of NDP efforts to vet new members, stating her belief that the party's "establishment is acting out of fear right now" and that the rhetoric used regarding a "hostile takeover" was concerning.
The report stated "no other remedy can adequately address the failings and breaches of the Appadurai Campaign" and recommended that her candidacy be disqualified.
[50] The report also noted that despite Appadurai saying that she welcomed the audit and other measures to ensure the integrity of the leadership race, she was making "directly contradictory statements to the media".
[49] Several members of the federal New Democratic Party expressed their criticism at the decision in Cull's report to disqualify Appadurai's candidacy, including Niki Ashton,[51] Leah Gazan,[52] Matthew Green,[53] Lori Idlout, and Bonita Zarrillo.
[54] Former NDP MLAs Joan Sawicki,[47] Harry Lali,[55][56] and Tom Perry expressed their desire for the race to continue.
[60][59][49] In a press conference on October 20, Appadurai stated that she would stay in the NDP despite her disqualification and implored supporters to "fight from the inside" in order to "reshape" the party.