B.C. Conservative members grapple with the future direction of the big tent party
Growing party, now the Official Opposition, faces internal dissent as it holds first AGM since election
As the B.C. Conservatives settle into their role as the Official Oppositon after decades in the political wilderness, more than 750 party members gathered this weekend to decide on the direction of the party.
The party's annual general meeting was held in Nanaimo, a provincial NDP stronghold, which sparked a quip from former B.C. Conservative candidate Tim Thielmann.
"It's one of the wokest, most hostile environments in the province," said Thielmann, one of the members who unsuccessfully challenged current president Aisha Estey to lead the party's board of directors.
The goal of the meeting is to elect the future board of directors and decide on policy objectives for the upstart party, which went from capturing two per cent of the vote in 2020 to coming within three seats of toppling the governing B.C. NDP in the 2024 election.
Despite that historic rise, the meeting exposed deep divisions between the right-leaning flank of the party and the centrists who joined following the collapse of B.C. United, formerly known as the B.C. Liberals.
Some members are unhappy with John Rustad's leadership, claiming he's watering down Conservative values.
"I've talked to so many of you in the last couple of months and many of you are concerned," Thielmann said.
"We don't want this party to become a top-down NDP-style regime, where a small group of people with their circle of friends run it for everyone else," he added.
Incumbent Estey made her pitch to remain party president amid a challenge from four other members, including Thielmann, David Busch, David Splett and Jeffery Rettmer. She held onto that position, and Rustad's preferred slate won the remaining board seats.
"The difference between myself and the others is under mine and John Rustad's leadership, the party went from two per cent [vote share] to 44 MLAs," Estey told the crowd. "I will never let this party become B.C. Liberal 2.0."
Estey was asked by reporters whether she's concerned about calls by some members for Rustad to resign.
"In any party when you don't win government, there's going to be those discussions and people are going to want leadership reviews and that's part of being a political party," she responded.
"The pressure to perform is there. And it's all about results."
Rustad said the party welcomes diverse opinions, which is why he's allowed his MLAs to vote with their conscience in the legislature.
That policy exposed divisions this week among the Conservative caucus, over residential schools and retaliatory tariffs to combat U.S. president Donald Trump's tariff threat.
"This is democracy," Rustad said. "If everyone was all coming forward and singing Kumbaya and all the same, then you're not a true party. Certainly not a broad enough based party to be able to govern in this province."
SOGI, tent city motions
The party also voted on several policy resolutions, including one that supported a repeal of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, instead favouring what members call "economic reconciliation," which Rustad has said will help Indigenous communities prosper through lucrative resource projects.
The party also voted in support of the "immediate removal of all SOGI materials, programs, and activities from B.C.'s primary and secondary schools." SOGI, which stands for sexual orientation and gender identity, is a provincial education resource established in schools in 2016 by the then-ruling B.C. Liberals, as part of anti-bullying policies.
The program has raised concerns, including among parents who worry SOGI encourages children to change genders or undergo gender-affirming surgery, and others who say it goes against religious values.
Proponents, however, say SOGI is aimed at creating a supportive and inclusive environment for LGBTQ students, and acknowledging there are people of varying genders and sexual orientations.
Sheila Malcolmson, the B.C. NDP MLA for Nanaimo-Gabriola Island, was critical of the Conservatives for barely touching on their response to the U.S. tariff threat during the meeting, telling reporters that the meeting focused on "COVID conspiracies and picking on vulnerable kids."
Conservative members also endorsed a system of mandatory treatment for people with mental health and addictions issues, and a zero tolerance policy for tent cities on provincially-owned properties.
The party also passed a resolution that calls for a review of the province's Firearms Act "with the goal of reducing paperwork and legal hurdles for firearms owners in B.C."
Party members also supported a policy which encourages reducing British Columbians' dependence on government services and "support a strong social safety net which protects those who truly need support, while encouraging individuals to be self-sufficient."
The Conservatives will hold a leadership review in the fall, where members will vote on whether or not to have a full leadership race. That will give members another chance to have their say on whether they're happy with Rustad.
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