A new political party is being formed in B.C. with Vancouver—Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie at the helm.
Brodie told Black Press Media she wants major tax cuts, to "dismantle the reconciliation industry in B.C.," end mass immigration and reform elections to require same-day, in-person voting with paper ballots.
An Elections BC spokesperson confirmed to Black Press Media that a party named One BC was registered on June 9. Brodie is listed as the interim leader and is joined by Independent MLA Tara Armstrong of Kelowna—Lake Country—Coldstream.
Brodie left the BC Conservative Caucus in March after controversy erupted over her comments casting doubt on evidence of Indigenous children's graves at residential schools.
Several B.C. Conservative members, including party leader John Rustad and house leader Á'a:líya Warbus, a member of the Stó:lō Nation, were highly critical of Brodie's comments.
She says she has no resentment.
"I can't live thinking about the past and what was done to me," she said. "I'm not a victim. I'm a big girl. I'm moving forward."
Armstrong and Jordan Kealy of Peace River North left the Conservatives with Brodie. Kealy has decided to continue sitting as an Independent, but has an open invitation to join the party, Brodie said.
Tim Thielmann, the former BC Conservative candidate for Victoria—Beacon Hill, is the party's new chief of staff, and Paul Ratchford, former B.C. Conservative candidate for Vancouver—Point Grey is director of strategic communications. Conservative commentator and podcaster Wyatt Claypool from Alberta is also doing some communications work for the party.
Brodie also said she is courting other B.C. Conservative MLAs.
"There is discontent within the [Conservative] party, and there are some problems," she said. "And so yes, we have spoken to MLAs within the party."
Brad Zubyk, the B.C. Conservatives' deputy chief of staff, said party leader John Rustad did not wish to comment, but that his party wasn't worried about losing members.
"The B.C. conservatives are focused on important issues that will bring down the NDP, like ferry contracts with China, like a broken health-care system that we're seeing in Kelowna over the last week," he said. "What other parties do is their business, but we're going to keep focused on our priority, which is to bring down the NDP."
Andrew Reeve, the former communications director for B.C. United, has some experience with challenges from the right. His party held the centre-right in B.C. politics until the B.C. Conservatives grew enough of a base to begin hiving off MLAs from United's caucus, eventually taking the lead in polls.
Reeve warns that the Conservatives now need to deal with challenges from the right with One BC and the left with Centre BC, the new party formed by former United MLA Karin Kirkpatrick.
Reeve reckons this will be a big leadership test for Rustad.
"Steering that ship and keeping everybody inside is going to be certainly a challenge that we've not seen a party leader face in a long time in this province," he said.
Much of Brodie's platform is focused on populist social issues. And the issue that led to her leaving the Conservatives, Indigenous relations, is still primary.
The website for the new party had the full platform and was up by midday Thursday (June 12).
