Five members of the B.C. legislature have joined forces to create a new provincial political party, positioning the group of former Conservative MLAs as a viable alternative to the governing NDP.
MLAs Peter Milobar and Ian Paton, who announced their intentions to launch a new party last week, revealed Friday that fellow Conservative defectors Rosalyn Bird, Bruce Banman and Áʼa꞉líya Warbus have joined their caucus.
The as-yet unnamed party now holds five seats in the legislature, with Milobar serving as interim leader until a caucus vote in October.
“We’re working hard, every day, to build the party British Columbia needs right now,” said Milobar, the MLA for Kamloops Centre, in a news release announcing the new party.
“This will be a party for hard-working British Columbians: one that restores fiscal sanity to this province and positions British Columbia as a national leader in resource development and job creation,” he added.
‘Thoughtful alternative’
Nine MLAs have left the B.C. Conservatives to sit as Independents since Kerry-Lynne Findlay assumed the party leadership in May.
Findlay was expected to hold a caucus meeting Friday morning, but says she has no plans to step aside as party leader.
“I was elected to lead this party, and I intend to lead it with determination, with humility and with the experience to know that strong leaders listen, learn and make changes when changes are needed,” the B.C. Conservative leader said in a statement Thursday.
The new party intends to hold official third-party status in the B.C. legislature for the fall sitting next month, according to the group.
“We’re building on the momentum Peter and Ian have created over the last week and a half toward giving voters a stable, thoughtful alternative to the NDP,” said Bird, the MLA for Prince George-Valemount, in the release.
“This party will be focused on the issues the NDP has neglected for far too long: the economy, health care, affordability, taxation and land rights.”
Conservative party turmoil
Warbus, the MLA for Chilliwack-Cultus Lake, and Banman, who represents Abbotsford-South, echoed their colleagues in calling for a new political movement focused on issues that matter to voters.
“British Columbians deserve a government that respects a dollar earned and doesn’t punish people for working hard,” Banman said in the release.
“I’ve spent my time in the legislature fighting for common-sense policy and for the people who feel like Victoria stopped listening to them a long time ago.”
The Conservative caucus and the party’s executive staff have been in turmoil under Findlay’s leadership, with many defectors blaming Findlay directly for their departures.
The party came to the brink of power in the 2024 provincial election after winning 44 seats under former leader John Rustad.
But the Conservative coalition soon splintered, followed by high-profile staff departures, including president Aisha Estey, vice-president Sharon White, executive director Angelo Isidorou and Findlay’s own chief of staff, Chris Delaney.
The party now holds 28 seats in the legislature, following the exits this week of Donegal Wilson, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen, and Columbia River–Revelstoke MLA Scott McInnis, who will both sit as Independents.
