Only one Conservative candidate can save B.C.

Kerry-Lynne Findlay has the platform and the grit required to dismantle David Eby’s agenda

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The BC Conservative leadership race is heading into the home stretch. Voting will officially begin on May 9, and the new party leader will be announced on May 30.

If the polls and predictions are accurate, it could end up being one of the closest finishes in Canadian political history.

Here’s an example. Research Co.’s April 16-18 online survey among 803 adults had political commentator and former B.C. United vice-president Caroline Elliott in the lead with 19 per cent. Former federal Conservative cabinet minister and lawyer Kerry-Lynne Findlay was next at 18 per cent, followed by B.C. Conservative MLA Peter Milobar (17 per cent), Capilano University chairman and businessman Yuri Fulmer (15 per cent) and former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Iain Black (14 per cent).

The candidate order shifted a bit when the survey focused on B.C. Conservative voters from the 2024 provincial election. Elliott still led with 27 per cent, followed by Milobar (25 per cent), Findlay (23 per cent), Black (22 per cent) and Fulmer (20 per cent).

“As was the case two months ago,” Research Co. President Mario Canseco wrote in Business in Vancouver magazine on April 30, “no candidate is easily surpassing all others as an option for British Columbians.”

It’s no secret that there are issues and deficiencies with online surveys. For argument’s sake, let’s take the numbers as is. If everything is accurate, there’s a razor-thin margin between all five leadership candidates. No one has broken out of the pack—and it could go down to the wire.

Other polls conducted before the April 18 cutoff for signing new members also indicated that Elliott led by a small margin. Mainstreet Research’s March 19-22 poll showed her ahead of Milobar by a hairbreadth, 21.2 per cent to 20.8 per cent. Pallas Data’s March 2 poll had her in the lead with 15 per cent, followed by Milobar at nine per cent.

Let’s also throw in the newest Pallas Data poll, which was released on May 4. Elliott was at 31 per cent, followed by Findlay (24 per cent), Black (18 per cent), Milobar (nine per cent) and Fulmer (seven7 per cent). There’s one important caveat to keep in mind, however. As noted by the website Castanet’s news director Tim Petruk, “Elliott’s campaign paid for the polling.”

Putting the last poll aside, Elliott has at least a small advantage over the other four candidates before voting begins. Is she the right person to lead the B.C. Conservatives?

The National Post’s editorial board certainly thinks so. They depicted her political platform as a “beacon of hope for the province and indeed the rest of Canada” on May 2.

The Post praised Elliott’s promise to “‘immediately scrap the NDP’s disastrous DRIPA legislation,” which forces all provincial laws to be aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).” In their view, “Elliott’s plan is to not only repeal DRIPA, but repeal provisions from these deals ‘that provide veto power over public land and resources, threaten private property or otherwise undermine the public interest and/or democratic principles.’ ”

The editorial writers supported other points in Elliott’s platform, including: “reverse the NDP’s soft-on-drugs approach,” “‘empower police officers to enforce the Mental Health Act,’” “remove ‘activists fads’ from the classroom” to bring an end to “‘land acknowledgements in schools,’” and “overhaul how history is taught in schools to ‘replace NDP shame in our province’” with “‘pride in the many good things we’ve accomplished.’”

Here are the two concluding paragraphs: “Caroline Elliott is among the most persuasive and articulate advocates of conservative ideas in Canada. She avoids coming off angry or condescending, and is, as a consequence, able to clearly explain the rationale for the policies she favours. If she is elected leader and brings this platform to the general public, B.C. will be in good hands.”

The Post’s well-written analysis of Elliott made sense. I’m going to partially break with my colleagues (I’m also a columnist for this publication) and include Findlay as a beacon of hope, too.

Findlay has some thought-provoking conservative policies on her website, too. Build a “Western Alliance” between B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan to create economic prosperity. Repeal the Legal Professions Act, 2024 (Bill 21) to help “restore legal independence and self-regulation.” Repeal the HPOA (Bill 36) to restore “medical freedom” and “free speech.” Repeal the NDP’s no-fault ICBC insurance system and “restore meaningful legal rights for individuals with injuries to pursue full and fair compensation in court, including for income loss and non-economic damages.” Support B.C. salmon farmers by keeping “marine salmon farming operating and growing in B.C.—not shut it down through NDP-Liberal regulation and diktat.”

What are my thoughts?

Findlay and Elliott both seem like good choices to become the next B.C. Conservative leader and beat Premier David Eby and the NDP. The former’s platform appears to be closer to modern conservatism and would swing the province back to the centre-right. The latter’s platform contains moderate conservative ideas that could have broad appeal.

It’s close, but my endorsement goes to Findlay.

Michael Taube is a political commentator, Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics, lending academic rigour to his political insights.