The last few weeks have been more than a little hectic for Saanich South BC Liberal candidate and Camosun alumnus Rishi Sharma. Sharma, who graduated from Camosun’s Major Appliance and Vending Machine Repair Technician program in 1998, says he was completely surprised by the decision to have a snap election, and he doesn’t think it will be politically prudent for the NDP.
“I coach my daughter’s basketball now—not that we can find a space; if you’ve got a space at Camosun, we’ll take it—because we’re playing outside. We’ve been kicked out of every gym because of COVID… And here we are doing an election,” he says. “It makes no sense to me; we’re in a state of emergency, for heaven’s sake. What the heck is going on?”
Sharma—who is the project manager for the Builders Code, a construction workforce equity project spearheaded by the BC Construction Association, and says he is the only South Asian candidate on Vancouver Island—says that issues relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion are of utmost importance.
“You see a lot of altercations between different under-represented communities, a lot of stress and anxiety because of COVID,” he says. “We’re trying to remove bullying, hazing, and harassment from the construction industry; well, we should be doing that across the board.”
The safety of citizens is also important to Sharma, especially considering the South Asian population on the island.
“Maybe there wasn’t enough time to get them recruited and involved, because [Horgan] called a snap election. Those are the types of things we should be thinking about,” he says. “Post-secondary institutions should have that lens, governments should have that lens.”
As far as budgetary concerns leading into the elections go, anyone concerned with government overspending is right to be, says Sharma, considering the provincial deficit is now forecast at $12.8 billion (before the COVID-19 crisis hit, the province was at a $200-million surplus).
“It’s just come out from the NDP, there’s another $9 billion [for infrastructure projects] to add onto the $13 billion [deficit],” says Sharma. “There should be anxiety about all the spending. Even centre-right governments will tell you, it’s not time for austerity.”
On Thursday nights at 7 pm, Sharma broadcasts live on Facebook in what he calls Cooking With the Candidate; during the broadcast, Sharma and his mom make food and talk, and viewers can ask questions.
“We’re doing what is necessary to try and get to young voters—the rallies, the excitement,” he says. “If you look at some of the pictures, or the candidates, or the announcements, where’s everyone behind them? Where’s the feeling of excitement, where’s the hope? It’s really hard to generate that. We’re trying to online, but it’s much different in person.”
Sharma says campaigning has been really difficult because of COVID-19; he spoke with the district electoral officer when he dropped off his nomination papers and says there is confusion regarding timing and what can and can’t be done with campaigning.
“How the mail-in ballets will be counted… What are you doing with seniors’ facilities? How are they going to mail them out? In Saanich South, there’s a lot of those seniors,” he says. “How are we going to get that information out to students so they know how they are supposed to vote?”
Sharma says he’s having a hard time doing the job he wants to do because the rules for campaigning are changing so often.
“I ran before, twice, and I was at doorsteps everyday talking to folks,” he says. “I don’t feel right, really, knocking on all those doors. I can’t walk into a seniors’ home, where we could before, and have a debate. We’re not allowed to do that. There’s no debate called. How do I debate other candidates, properly?”