Forward Together (Vancouver)

{{Short description|Municipal political party in British Columbia, Canada}}

{{Infobox political party

| name = Forward Together

| native_name =

| logo = File:Forward_Together_(Vancouver)_logo.png

| logo_size =

| colorcode = {{Canadian party colour|VAN|Forward Together}}

| leader = Kennedy Stewart

| president =

| chairperson =

| spokesperson =

| foundation =

| ideology = Social democracy

| headquarters =

| international =

| website = {{URL|https://www.forwardvancouver.ca}}

| country = Canada

| state = Vancouver

| dissolution =

| colors =

| colours = Turquoise, orange

| merger =

| split =

| predecessor =

| merged =

| successor =

| student_wing =

| youth_wing =

| membership =

| membership_year =

| position = Centre-left

| national =

| footnotes =

| _subheader = Defunct municipal party

| blank1_title = Fiscal policy

| blank1 =

| blank2_title = Social policy

| blank2 =

| seats1_title = City council

| seats1 = {{Composition bar|0|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|Forward Together}}}}

| seats2_title = Park board

| seats2 = {{Composition bar|0|7|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|Forward Together}}}}

| seats3_title = School board

| seats3 = {{Composition bar|0|9|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|Forward Together}}}}

| parties_dab1 = Municipal political parties in Vancouver

| elections_dab1 = Municipal elections in Vancouver

}}

Forward Together is a non-profit advocacy organization and former municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The party was led by then–Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart through the 2022 municipal election, which he lost to Ken Sim.

History

= In government =

Kennedy Stewart was elected mayor as an independent in the 2018 Vancouver municipal election, presiding over 10 councillors elected from four different parties. Though he pledged to work co-operatively with councillors, ensuing policy disagreements with other parties prompted Stewart to form his own organization in 2020, initially called Team Kennedy Stewart.{{Cite web |title=Vancouver mayor ‘flabbergasted’ in housing plan defeat |url=https://biv.com/article/2020/09/vancouver-mayor-flabbergasted-housing-plan-defeat |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=Business in Vancouver |language=en}} In April 2022, the party rebranded as "Forward Together with Kennedy Stewart". With Stewart seeking re-election as mayor in the 2022 Vancouver municipal election, Forward Together announced its first three council candidates in June 2022,{{Cite web |title=Kennedy Stewart names first Vancouver City Council candidates under his new party {{!}} Urbanized |url=https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/kennedy-stewart-forward-together-vancouver-city-council-candidates |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=dailyhive.com |language=en}} and another three candidates by September 2022.{{Cite web |title=Wife of Mayor Kennedy Stewart to run for Vancouver City Council {{!}} Urbanized |url=https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/jeanette-ashe-vancouver-city-council-kennedy-stewart |access-date=2022-09-13 |website=dailyhive.com |language=en}}

= 2022 election =

The party aimed to elect a "progressive majority"{{Cite web |date=2021-12-15 |title=VDLC Endorses Mayor Kennedy Stewart for Re-Election – Vancouver and District Labour Council. |url=https://vdlc.ca/vdlc-endorses-mayor-kennedy-stewart-for-re-election/ |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=vdlc.ca}} to city council, which, as elected in 2018, was evenly divided between the centre-right/right-wing Non-Partisan Association (NPA) and the centre-left/left-wing Greens, OneCity, and COPE. Forward Together stated it would run up to six council candidates, leaving room for other centre-left parties to elect their own councillors.{{Cite web |title=Mike Howell: Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart’s new party is called ‘Forward Together’ |url=https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/mike-howell-vancouver-mayor-kennedy-stewarts-new-party-is-called-forward-together-5244779 |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=Vancouver Is Awesome |language=en}}

Kennedy Stewart, prior to being elected mayor, served as a member of Parliament and was affiliated with the New Democratic Party, as were council candidates Dulcy Anderson (constituency assistant to BC NDP MLA David Eby),{{Cite web |title=Dulcy Anderson {{!}} Candidate for City Council |url=https://www.forwardvancouver.ca/dulcy_anderson |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=Forward Together Vancouver |language=en}} Tesicca Truong and Jeanette Ashe (previously BC NDP candidates). Council candidate Russil Wvong served as riding chair for the Vancouver Kingsway Liberal electoral district association.{{Cite web |title=Vancouver Kingsway {{!}} Liberal Party of Canada |url=https://liberal.ca/ridings/59038 |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=liberal.ca |language=en-CA}}

Stewart was defeated in his candidacy for re-election on October 15, 2022. None of Forward Together's six candidates for city council were elected. The party did not run any candidates for school board or park board, opting to endorse Vision Vancouver's school and parks candidates. Stewart was endorsed by Vision in the mayoral race.{{Cite web |title=Mayor Kennedy Stewart has endorsed Vision Vancouver's candidates {{!}} Urbanized |url=https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/kennedy-stewart-forward-together-vision-vancouver-candidates |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=dailyhive.com |language=en}}

= Post-election activities =

After the 2022 election, the party changed its ballot name to "Forward Together". The party states it is working to advance several priorities ahead of the 2026 municipal election, including affordable housing, democratic reform, and climate change policies.{{Cite web |title=About Forward Together |url=https://www.forwardvancouver.ca/about_forward_together |access-date=2023-07-11 |website=Forward Together Vancouver |language=en}}

In the summer of 2024, Forward Together was deregistered as a local elector organizationElections BC Register of Elector Organizations - Deregistered https://elections.bc.ca/docs/fin/List-of-elector-organizations.pdf and re-established as an advocacy group seeking to overturn the at-large voting system, particularly in Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia's two largest cities.{{Cite web |title=At-Large Campaign |url=https://www.forwardvancouver.ca/at-large |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=Forward Together Vancouver |language=en}}

Electoral results

class="wikitable sortable" \|+ Mayoral ! Election year ! Candidate ! Votes ! % ! Position ! Result
2022 \| Kennedy Stewart \| 49,593 \| 29.48 \| {{decrease}} 2nd \| {{no2\|Not elected}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Mayoral

! Election year

! Candidate

! Votes

! %

! Position

! Result

2022

| Kennedy Stewart

| 49,593

| 29.48

| {{decrease}} 2nd

| {{no2|Not elected}}

class="wikitable" \|+ Vancouver City Council ! Election ! Seats ! +/– ! Votes ! % ! Change ! Position
2022 \| {{Composition bar\|0\|11\|hex={{Canadian party colour\|VAN\|Forward Together}}}} \| {{same}} \| 160,375 \| 11.91 \| {{same}} \| {{no2\|No seats}}

class="wikitable"

|+ Vancouver City Council

! Election

! Seats

! +/–

! Votes

! %

! Change

! Position

2022

| {{Composition bar|0|11|hex={{Canadian party colour|VAN|Forward Together}}}}

| {{same}}