Five former B.C. Conservative MLAs unite to form new political party

Five former B.C. Conservative MLAs have announced plans to establish a new political party, adding another force to the province’s increasingly fractured centre-right. Peter Milobar, Ian Paton, Rosalyn Bird, Bruce Banman and A’a Warbus will form the yet-to-be-named party, with Milobar serving as interim leader. The group plans to hold a leadership vote before the legislature resumes on Oct. 5, although details about the party’s formal registration have not yet been released.

The five-member group says it will emphasize fiscal responsibility, resource development and job creation while presenting itself as an alternative to both the governing NDP and the B.C. Conservatives. Banman said right-of-centre voters deserve another choice, while Warbus argued the new organization must begin preparing immediately for the next provincial election. Its members also intend to seek recognition as the legislature’s official third party.

The announcement deepens the turmoil surrounding B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, with nine MLAs having left her caucus in less than three weeks amid disputes over leadership, strategy and political direction. Findlay has denied that the party has shifted course and has suggested some departures were motivated by leadership ambitions. The new party must now choose a name, register with Elections BC and demonstrate that it can turn a group of defecting legislators into a durable provincewide organization.