FORSETH – It’s now time for the BC Conservatives to get behind new leader

SINCE BECOMING a member/ supporter of the Conservative Party of British Columbia in 2009, I have never seen an actual leadership race – until this year.

Over that 17-year period, former Reform Party of Canada MP John Cummins served as leader from 2011 to 2013. He was followed by three individuals, all hailing from Northern B.C.: guide/ outfitter Dan Brooks (2014 to 2016) … Fort St. John City councilor, and burger baron, Trevor Bolin (2019 to 2023) … and finally Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad (2023 to 2025).

In between interim leaders were appointed including now federal Conservative MP Scott Anderson, and MLA Trevor Halford who has held the role since Rustad was removed.

Enough of the history lesson other than to say, as you can see, it has not been the norm for the Conservative Party of BC to have a leader chosen by the membership, following a full-blown contested leadership race.

That changed 135 days ago (Jan. 16) when the board and executive of the party announced a leadership race was underway, which would conclude May 30 – today.

In the initial weeks of the campaign 11 men and women declared their intentions to seek the leadership, including five sitting MLAs – four of which eventually dropped out. They were:

Sheldon Clare: MLA for Prince George – North Cariboo

Bruce Banman: MLA for Abbotsford South

Steve Kooner: MLA for Richmond – Queensborough

Harman Bhangu: MLA for Langley – Abbotsford … and…

Peter Milobar: MLA for Kamloops – Centre

Two others, Darryl Jones (former Pattison Food Group President) and businessman Warren Hamm (who declared he’d be seeking the leadership of the party before the race was even announced), both dropped out of the race as well.

That left Iain Black, Caroline Elliott, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Yuri Fulmer, and Peter Milobar as the final five.

Following a verification process, to ensure election integrity, 26,000 members were eligible to vote. Twenty-five thousand did so (97%) on a vote on a ballot which allowed them to rank, in order of preference, who they wished to lead the party.

The first results came in, this evening, and after the first ballot the results had Peter Milobar in 5^th, Yuri Fulmer in 4^th, Iain Black came in 3^rd, Caroline Elliott was 2^nd, putting Kerry-Lynne Findlay in the lead with 30.5%.

As this was a ranked ballot, Milobar was dropped, and we went to a second round. That saw Yuri Fulmer drop off the ballot after coming in 4^th. In 3^rd was Iain Black, 2^nd went to Caroline Elliott, and top spot remained with Kerry-Lynne Findlay.

In the third ballot count it was a tight race between Iain Black with 30%, and Caroline Elliott who had 31.3%. A 4^th ballot count was required as Kerry-Lyne Findlay still had not topped +50% required to be declared the winner.

That left just two names on the ballot, and at 7 p.m., the Conservative Party of BC executive eirector, Angelo Isidorou, announced that in the tightest of margins the individual in 2^nd place had received 49% of the votes, while the individual in 1^st had garnered 51%.

With that, he declared Kerry-Lynne Findlay the new leader of the Conservative Party of BC.

For me personally, I was disappointed to see my first choice, Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar, drop off after the first ballot, and then my second choice, Iain Black drop off after the 3^rd ballot count. I felt fairly certain that 2/3rds of his supporters would swing to Elliott putting her over the top, but instead they split 50/50 between her and the eventual winner, Kerry-Lynne Findlay.

The members of the Conservative Party of BC have spoken, and it is now time to get behind our new leader and begin the work of winning the next provincial election.

Once again my thanks go out to all who let their names stand for the leadership of the party – you are to be commended.

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, and as a four-time provincial campaign manager.