Adam Pankratz: Hypocritical Eby wears American sweater while announcing Buy B.C. plans

The problem with any politician who wraps themselves in the flag, as B.C. NDP Leader David Eby is doing, is that such acts must come off as authentic, or voters will see the move as a cynical electoral prop. Thus, being found wearing an American clothing brand, as Eby was, while delivering anti-American campaign slogans, as Eby has also been doing, is something you might think a clever politician would avoid. Yet, as is so often the case with Eby, the disconnect between words and actions makes his inauthenticity shine and puts a spotlight on the fact that he doesn’t care as much about the province as he does his own job.

Eby’s opening week was mostly characterized by his apparent belief that he is running against U.S. President Donald Trump. From his opening press conference to nearly every campaign stop since, Eby does his best to invoke the spectre of Trump. Now, there is most assuredly good reason to stand up to Trump: we aren’t going to be the 51st state and his trade attacks are unwarranted. But if you’re going to posture as Captain Canada (or Captain B.C.), you had best look the part, something Eby simply doesn’t.

In an embarrassing moment on Sunday, as he tried once again to scare British Columbians into thinking that B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson is a secret MAGA enthusiast, Eby delivered his anti-American and anti-Trump message wearing a Patagonia sweater. I harbour no specific ill-will towards Patagonia, but it is a well-known fact that it is an American company. Given the taint Eby believes all things American have, one might assume that Patagonia is not the appropriate outerwear for delivering a campaign promise to bring in “Built in B.C. and Canada” rules for public procurement. This is especially true when the province has no shortage of sweater and outerwear options, Arcteryx, Lululemon and Mountain Equipment Company among them.

Eby was widely ridiculed for this online, though it appears he didn’t really get the message. On Monday, he travelled to Price Rupert to announce his critical minerals strategy. To protect himself from the elements, Eby was sporting a rain jacket, which appeared to be from a Swedish company, Fjällräven. To be sure, Fjällräven is a fine company, but the fact remains that it isn’t British Columbian and Eby’s Buy B.C. message continues to smack of ludicrously cynical hypocrisy when he can’t be bothered to adhere to it for even a few minutes during a press conference.

To make matters worse for Eby, his actual opponent, Doerkson, is a real down-to-earth person who even rode the B.C. rodeo circuit in the 1990s. Last week, as Eby talked of building a “fire break” in British Columbia against Trump, video emerged of Doerkson in the forest fighting actual wildfires. The contrast is stark: the talker versus the doer.

When Eby appeared on the legislature lawn wearing a plaid lumberjack vest, it looked awkward and staged. If Doerkson showed up wearing one, no one would doubt he had just been splitting logs to build a fence, possibly for his neighbour’s cattle. That down-to-earth nature coupled with Doerkson’s direct talk is reminiscent of former premier John Horgan, who was immensely popular and respected on both sides of the political spectrum. British Columbians value authenticity, and Doerkson is giving it to them in spades.

It may seem somewhat trivial to pick on Eby’s clothing, but it is a physical manifestation of his failings on serious issues — namely, sincerity, authenticity and trustworthiness. Eby’s campaign has been staged, concocted and manufactured to look real. Doerkson, by contrast, has emerged as a humble, salt-of-the-earth person, who likes going to B.C. Lions football games and being among the people. It all makes Eby’s veneer look exceptionally shoddy compared to Doerkson’s depth, and it’s not hard to see why the NDP have a serious problem on their hands.

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