A group of five former British Columbia Conservative Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) are uniting to establish a fresh provincial political party led by Peter Milobar and Ian Paton. The MLAs, Rosalyn Bird, Bruce Banman, and Áʼa:líya Warbus, who recently departed from the Conservatives, publicly declared their affiliation with the new party on Friday. This development comes after a total of nine members left the B.C. Conservative caucus.
In an official statement released on Friday, the unnamed party’s MLAs expressed their aim to offer a dependable and credible alternative to the NDP. Acting as the interim party leader, Milobar emphasized that the party’s primary focus will be on addressing the everyday concerns of British Columbians, such as affordability, property rights, natural resource development, and healthcare, in a pragmatic manner not solely based on ideology. Milobar expressed his ultimate goal of defeating the NDP and forming the government.
Milobar and Paton parted ways with the Conservative caucus in August, citing disagreements with the new leadership. They officially announced their plans to establish a new political party on August 24. Milobar will serve as the interim party leader until a permanent leader is elected by the caucus. The party aims to conduct an internal leadership vote before October 5, coinciding with the return of the legislature, and with five seats, it intends to hold official third-party status.
Meanwhile, the B.C. Conservatives have been facing internal turmoil, with nine MLAs leaving the caucus following Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s election as party leader in May. Findlay’s leadership has been marked by a shift towards the right, prompting controversy over staffing decisions. Several departing MLAs have expressed concerns about Findlay’s leadership style. The party has also witnessed key founding staff members departing in recent weeks.
Findlay responded to the situation by affirming her commitment to strengthening the party and addressing critical issues like emergency room closures, crime, drugs, and the cost of living. Milobar, who unsuccessfully contested against Findlay for the leadership position, initiated the new party to offer a distinct choice to challenge the NDP. This move mirrors the creation of other alternative parties in the region, like CentreBC and OneBC, each pursuing their own political agendas.
Despite concerns about potentially dividing the right-leaning vote, Milobar remains confident in the new party’s purpose. He emphasized the importance of providing voters with a genuine alternative and offering MLAs a platform they can be proud to support amidst the recent upheaval within the Conservative caucus.