Prominent B.C. MLA turned off by 'new direction' leaves Conservative caucus
Peter Milobar, who has been a B.C. MLA for Kamloops Centre since 2017, announced today that he is leaving the B.C. Conservative Party to sit as an Independent.
Milobar was one of the five candidates who ran for Conservative Party leadership this spring. He ultimately lost to Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
“I completely respect the vote of the membership, and that Kerry-Lynne Findlay has earned the right as leader to shape the party as she sees fit,” Milobar said in a statement.
“It has, however, become clear to me over the last few months that my values don’t align with this new direction.”
While Milobar didn’t specify what he meant by the “new direction,” Findlay has so far created controversy — like stating “Faith, family, and freedom” during her leadership victory speech.
Amelia Boultbee is another former B.C. Conservative who recently left the Party, although she joined the NDP rather than going Independent.
Further, Mark Robertson, the director of political operations and membership, left the Party on Aug. 4. In a social media post announcing his departure, he wrote that he hopes that Findlay’s new staff “do not squander this opportunity to build on the work that has been accomplished so far.”
Another update being reported on social media is that former controversial Rebel News reporter Drea Humphrey is the new press secretary for Findlay.
What do B.C. residents think about it all?
A June survey from Research Co. suggested that British Columbians are split down the middle when it comes to who they would support in a provincial election — and many want an alternative option to the leading parties.
It found that 41 per cent said they think “it’s time to bring back the BC Liberals as a provincial political party.”
The BC Liberal Party officially rebranded to BC United in 2022, after losing two consecutive elections in 2017 and 2020 and wanting to make a clear distinction between them and the federal Liberal Party.
Although BC United was the governing Party for 16 years, leader Kevin Falcon (leader of BC United) suspended the Party’s campaign as popularity surged for the BC Conservatives under the leadership of John Rustad.
While the BC Conservatives lost the 2024 election, they garnered 43 per cent of the vote — a massive jump from the two per cent vote share they had in the 2020 election and officially placing them in the role of official opposition.