BURST
The Conservative Party of B.C. says it has approved nine leadership candidates after they each successfully gathered 250 signatures from members and paid the initial $5,000 fee.
The successful candidates also went through an internal vetting process that included interviews with members of the party’s leadership election organizing committee.
A news release sent out by the party says the leadership candidates are:
• Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar
• Langley-Abbotsford MLA Harman Bhangu
• Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman
• Political commentator Caroline Elliott
• Former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Iain Black
• Capilano University chancellor Yuri Fulmer
• Former Pattison Food Group president Darrell Jones
• Former federal Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay
• Rossland contractor Warren Hamm
Richmond-Queensborough MLA Steve Kooner and Prince George-North Cariboo MLA Sheldon Clare dropped out of the race last week.
Clare released a statement saying that a “critical number” of the memberships he had submitted to the party were from people who were not members of the B.C. Conservatives or had let their memberships lapse.
“I take full responsibility for that deficiency in my application,” said Clare, before urging whoever ends up taking the reins of the party to keep the B.C. Conservatives grounded in conservative values.
“This is not the B.C. United Party. This is not the B.C. Liberal party 2.0. This is the Conservative Party of British Columbia. We must protect and strengthen this party, and ensure it remains grounded in genuine Conservative principles.”
For Kooner’s part, he said that “in a large candidate field, I concluded that the responsible path forward is to support a candidate positioned to unite the party and win.”
The next step for those still in the race is to raise money, sign-up new members and solicit endorsements from members of caucus and other prominent conservatives.
Already, Milobar has received endorsements from five of his caucus colleagues , including Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew, Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day, Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer, Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Scott McInnis and Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Kiel Giddens.
Richmond-Bridgeport MLA Teresa Wat is the only other Conservative MLA to make an endorsement so far, supporting Black.
Candidates will have until April 18 to sign up new members. They must also submit $10,000 to the party this week after the acceptance of their candidacy. Further payments of $40,000 and $60,000 are due by April 1 and April 18, respectively, with another $20,000 payment required either 21 days after they are approved as a candidate or before the first official leadership event, whichever is earlier.
The new party leader will be announced no later than May 30.