An old saying suggests that trends originate in California and gradually migrate eastward. Cultural values, fashion trends, and business models frequently trace their roots back to the West. Applying this logic to Canada suggests that the country’s national movements often begin in British Columbia. In recent days, Prime Minister Mark Carney has received a frosty reception from B.C. Premier David Eby on energy issues. Carney strongly advocates for pipeline construction while carefully balancing resource development, Indigenous rights, and climate action. On any one day, he can sound like a “dipper”, only to return to his roots as a man of business. This dual persona forces him to adapt his message, speaking with one voice in one region and a completely distinct voice elsewhere. Recent political shifts in British Columbia and Alberta reflect a broader, critical situation that is only now receiving adequate coverage.
BRITISH COLUMBIA POLITICAL PRIMER
The B.C. Conservative leadership race follows the party’s success in 2024 when it rose from the ashes to become the Official Opposition. Historically, the fortunes of the British Columbia Conservative and Liberal parties have been closely intertwined, with each party rising and falling in response to shifting public sentiment under various federal governments. Interestingly, the parties have formed alliances since the 1950s to combat the CCF and then the NDP. WAC Bennett’s government, which began in 1952, allowed the right-leaning Socred (Social Credit) Party to lead the legislature for most of the next forty years, except for the Dave Barrett NDP government of 1972-75. A coalition under the Liberal banner formed when Bill Vander Zalm’s Socreds fell in 1991, and since then, there has been a back-and-forth among the fiscal conservatives under the Liberal banner. First with Gordon Campbell and then with Christy Clark. The NDP has been in power in BC since 2017. Still, it faces headwinds with the Carney government and the suddenly relevant Conservative Party now that the Liberal provincial party has become basically extinct in the province’s most western province.
LEADERSHIP CONVENTION
After the contentious resignation of its former leader, John Rustad, late last year, the Conservative Party is set to determine its new leadership at an upcoming convention. The party serves as a reaction to court rulings related to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), which have threatened property rights for B.C. landowners. David Leis of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy told The Epoch Times: “This is really quite an extraordinary scale of interest in this leadership race,” Leis said in an interview, adding that many of those tuning in believe “that B.C. is in deep trouble and there is an urgent need for policy change, and the hope for that change is with a change of the B.C. leadership.” Voting began on May 23 and will close on May 30. The party reports that membership has skyrocketed from 7,000 to 42,000 during the contest.
CANDIDATES
The campaign began with a crowded field but has narrowed to five candidates.
Caroline Elliott, former Vice-President of the BC United Party (the first iteration of a post-Liberal Party) and a political commentator. The photogenic Elliott has a video on her website which includes the following comment: “I’ve stood up for our natural resources, called out the denigration of our history, and pushed back against ideology in our education system, our health care system, and in our justice system. I’ve opposed the government’s race-based hiring policies, called for safety on our streets and demanded better management of your hard-earned tax dollars.” With no decisive front-runner, Elliott’s chances are as good as anyone’s.
Kerry-Lynne Findlay, a former Conservative Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister. The long-time MP’s website says the following: “The NDP raised taxes and let crime and chaos spread. They pushed radical ideology in our schools, and took away your freedoms, and now maybe even your home. The B.C. Liberals are no different.” Findlay also promises to put freedom first, cut taxes, lock up criminals, stop the extortion, defend property rights, get woke ideology out of our schools, bring down prices and get paychecks up. She also declares B.C. must open the mines, save the sawmills, and build Canadian pipelines, protect our children, keep men out of girls’ locker rooms, and put parents back in charge.
Peter Milobar, a former Liberal member of the BC legislature, Milobar has served since 2017, but now represents his riding as a Conservative, having won election in 2024. His background in business (he and his wife run a family business with their three adult children), Milobar focuses on fiscal responsibility and economic development. His message sounds similar to the common-sense approach in the party’s platform book. Milobar, speaking in a campaign video, said regarding his efforts at the municipal level as mayor of Kamloops, “We took care of the fundamentals. That type of skill set, based on the current economic challenges that B.C. is facing, is exactly what we need in the premier’s office…somebody that knows how to focus government back into priorities and still deliver those services without bankrupting the province…”
Iain Black is another former member of the B.C. Liberal party, serving under Gordon Campbell from 2005 to 2011 in several portfolios. Black was also the CEO of the Vancouver Board of Trade. Mark Page, in the 100 Mile House Free Press, reported Black as declaring, “I’m the guy they call when things are not going well. Almost every company is highly dysfunctional and is in a state of financial distress.” Black also stressed his skill set, declaring he possesses a rare blend of public and private sector expertise that rivals cannot match. Black describes himself politically as someone who trusts the private sector to deliver better and faster than government, and that the government should be less present in citizens’ lives. He calls the Conservative Party a “big tent” and sees room for different points of view. He also has support from prominent former Conservative politicians, according to the Free Press.
In this campaign, Yuri Fulmer emerges as the true wildcard contender. A prominent B.C. businessman, philanthropist, and political newcomer running a grassroots campaign, Fulmer wants to shake things up. Born in Australia, he is the chair of Fulmer & Company, global chair of United Way Worldwide, and chancellor of Capilano University (Vancouver). Mincing no words, Fulmer speaks as a reformer, hearkening to B.C. being free once again. In his promotional advertisement on the party site, Fulmer says, “I’m running to build a Conservative firewall strong enough to stop Liberal opportunists from seizing control of what we built and turn our movement into another ‘mushy middle’ establishment Party. A Conservative government led by me will make British Columbia the freest province in Canada, not ‘freer’ – the freest.” Fulmer also has a freedom charter to protect property rights, guarantee religious freedom, outlaw Digital ID, bring back merit-based hiring, and stand with law-abiding gun owners.
Whoever emerges as the leader will be in a position to win the next provincial election. Recent polls have the Conservatives ahead of the governing NDP by 10 points (an Angus Reid poll released this month). If B.C. elects a Conservative government committed to the principles any of these candidates espouse, Carney may find a dance partner on economic issues, but may also come face-to-face with a growing desire in this country to overthrow the entrenched establishment and let some new faces have a chance at solving the myriad of problems the country cannot seem to shake from economic malaise to national unity issues to dealing with our country’s origins.
Dave Redekop is a retired elementary resource teacher who now works part-time at the St. Catharines Courthouse as a Registrar. He has worked on political campaigns since high school and attended university in South Carolina for five years, where he earned a Master’s in American History with a specialization in Civil Rights. Dave loves reading biographies.
