With her third straight election victory virtually assured, Claire Trevena allowed herself to smile late Tuesday night.
It wasn’t the happiest smile though, as she simply pointed to the television screen and the numbers showing another majority government for the BC Liberal Party.
“Let’s be honest, it’s going to be a hard four years,” she told supporters a few moments earlier at the Campbell River Labour Hall.
It was an evening of accomplishment and disappointment for Trevena, 50, who is once again headed back to Victoria as the NDP MLA for North Island.
“I have a fantastic team. I feel humbled by their extraordinary hard work,” said the Quadra Island resident. “I am very proud to be in opposition and I’ll be working to get the voices of our communities heard in Victoria.”
The letdown was the NDP failure to form the government after every poll had pointed to a comfortable victory.
In the end though it was like watching this year’s version of the Vancouver Canucks try to hold onto a 3-1 third period lead. Suddenly it’s 3-2, then tied in the last minute, and finally lost in overtime.
Liberal candidate Nick Facey was thrilled by the Liberal victory, but disappointed to finish runner-up.
“I don’t think it was lost due to a lack of campaigning,” he said Wednesday. “I want to send a big thank-you to my team. I learned a lot during the campaign and I will be back.”
Facey didn’t quibble over the results, but did wonder what the final total would have been if the Green Party had decided to run a candidate. The North Island was one of the very few ridings in the entire province that did not have a Green candidate.
And then there was Bob Bray of the new B.C. Conservative Party who took 1,506 votes. Bray thoroughly enjoyed campaigning throughout the North Island and, for now, will continue to enjoy his retirement.