FORSETH – Focus on nine things that will allow BC Conservatives to win

 

I THOUGHT I HAD already made up my mind who I would be ranking on my ballot, in the Conservative Party of BC leadership race; now I am not so sure.  That means that, at least for me, and perhaps many others, it’s a good thing voting hasn’t already taken place.

There were initially only one or two of the candidates that I thought might be a little too right of centre for my liking, now it seems that list is growing.

I consider myself more closely aligned with what used to be called a Progressive Conservative, regardless, I feel more than comfortable within the Conservative Party of BC.  Some, however, in messages to me on my political Facebook page, have been rather, shall we say, a bit mean-spirited in comments they’ve made about my ‘purity’ as a conservative.

To tell you the truth, I really don’t care!

Some leadership candidates, in comments made online, have also been raising the issue of who is a pure enough conservative to be the leader — that I DO care about!

I care very much about the future of our province.  In fact, from a very early age when I became politically active at the age of 14, it’s something I have always cared about.  First for myself, then my children, and now for my grandchildren as well.

At the ripe old age of 70, there is one thing that is virtually guaranteed come election time. One-third of the vote will go left – one third of the vote will go right – and then there one third of the vote that are basically centrists.  Whoever wants to take to the reins of power in the B.C. legislature MUST capture more of the centrist vote than the other does.

That’s a FACT which no one can argue with.

So back to the leadership candidates, and their ‘purity’ tests.

Drop it – stop now – and quit making people who are considering supporting our party second guess themselves.

In no particular order, here is what I believe the over-whelming majority of British Columbians are concerned about:

1.    Their safety, and the safety of their family members;

2.    Having a job that allows them to be comfortable, even if not particularly well-off;

3.    They want a home in a neighbourhood where gangland violence doesn’t take place, where gunshots don’t ring out, and where drugs aren’t being dealt on street corners;

4.    They want those suffering from mental health issues, and addiction, able to readily seek help when it’s needed; not weeks or months down the road;

5.    They want to keep more of the money they earn in their pockets, not the pockets of government;

6.    They want their children to feel like they have a future right here in BC, not in neighbouring Alberta, or further east;

7.    They want an education system where their children can learn what will help them be successful in the future;

8.    They want a healthcare system that will be there when they need it – not an hour or two down the road because the local ER or maternity department is closed … and …

9.  They want a government that spends their tax-dollars wisely.

So, to those pushing harder to the right I ask this question; “Where do the things I just mentioned fit with in your plan of right-wing conservative purity”, because in my honest opinion, they simply do not.

NOT, if you want to become government.

We already have one Dallas Brodie, and we most certainly do not need a second, or even a slightly watered down version.

To the leadership candidates … Bruce Banman, Harman Bhangu, Iain Black, Caroline Elliott, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Yuri Fulmer, Warren Hamm, Darrell Jones, and Peter Milobar … focus on the nine things that I mentioned.

That’s what will allow the Conservative Party to win the next election with a majority government. And that’s what will allow our province to prosper once again.

Alan Forseth is a Kamloops resident. For 40 years he has been active, in a number of capacities, in local, provincial and federal politics, including running as a candidate for the BC Reform Party in the 1996 provincial election. He is currently President of the BC Conservatives Kamloops North Thompson Riding Association. He blogs at  Thoughts on BC Politics and More.