Progressive parties finally ink unity agreement, but questions around mayors persist

After many months of negotiations, Vancouver’s three left-leaning political parties have announced an official unity agreement. COPE, OneCity, and the Greens will each run a mayoral candidate, a maximum of five candidates for city council, and between three and five candidates for the park and school boards. 

“I want to give credit, mostly, to the [party members who] were working behind the scenes. This was a long time coming,” COPE Coun. Sean Orr told Vancity Lookout. “I know people will look at this and say it isn’t limiting enough … but it’s what we have and it’s substantial … Every party compromised on something here, we all took one for the team,” Orr said.

Green Coun. and mayoral candidate Pete Fry is one of those who doesn’t see it as limiting enough. “The numbers don't really add up. Five each for council [for 10 spots], that’s goofy math if you ask me,” Fry told Vancity Lookout. “But I appreciate it's been a challenge to get to that spot, and it’s a step in the right direction,” Fry added.

“Sean, Pete, and I work really closely and cooperatively together on council,” OneCity Coun. Lucy Maloney told Vancity Lookout. “There are three parties for a reason … [but] when we focus on our common values and priorities, then it's much easier to focus on how we need to work together.” 

Orr agreed, pointing to the disconnect between that collaboration as individuals and the previous tensions among the parties. “We're working together [as councillors], and now we're seeing it formalized between the parties. That takes a lot of weight off of our consciences …. it’s not easy … as the face of a party, we have to wear the decisions. This goes a long way for us as counsellors to know that we're aligned.”

The agreement allows each party to run a mayoral candidate, and doesn’t lay out any formal mechanism, like the one proposed in February by OneCity’s mayoral candidate William Azaroff, to rally around a single progressive candidate. 

“I think the real challenge will be on the mayor piece for me, but I don't intend to back down,” Fry said. “I feel confident that by the time we get to the end of summer, the others will have gotten behind or gotten out of the way.”

As it stands, it’s up to each individual party to make a “good-faith” determination about the strength of its own mayoral candidate compared to their progressive rivals. While Fry is confident at this point, so too is Azaroff, and Orr said COPE intends to put forward a mayoral candidate as well. 

The agreement is good news for progressive Vancouverites hoping to unseat Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC majority on council, but momentum in the race for mayor will be an important factor shaping the ballot as we draw closer to the October election.

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