NDP tariff motion exposes divisions in B.C. Conservative caucus
B.C. Conservative whip says the motion was a 'trap' aimed at turning tariffs into a wedge issue
The B.C. NDP laid what some B.C. Conservatives said was a trap to exploit the party's free vote policy.
If so, five Opposition MLAs walked right into it.
On Monday, NDP MLA Jennifer Blatherwick put forward a motion that called on MLAs to condemn U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats and back retaliatory tariffs if necessary.
"With Donald Trump's recent comments making it even clearer that tariffs are about making Canada the 51st state, now is an opportunity for every MLA to stand behind the Team Canada plan to fight these unjustified tariffs that would hurt British Columbians," Blatherwick said in a statement.
On Monday night, five Conservative MLAs voted against the motion: Dallas Brodie, Heather Maas, Jordan Kealy, Tara Armstrong and Brent Chapman. Harman Bhangu was not present for the vote.
Political watchers say it has exposed further rifts in the B.C. Conservative caucus and highlights the problem with Leader John Rustad's policy to allow his MLAs to vote their conscience.
The party's whip, Bruce Banman, says it's a different approach that respects the diverse beliefs and constituencies of the caucus.
Chapman said he voted against the majority of his party because he's concerned any kind of punitive attack against Republican states with targeted counter-tariffs could "draw the ire of the Trump administration, specifically against British Columbian, possibly escalating a terrible situation [and] ultimately making life much worse for the people of B.C."
Kealy, who represents Peace River North, objected to "a loaded motion that was brought forward by the NDP to try and divide people's perspectives."
Kealy says as a farmer, he's "completely against tariffs, but I want to see better diplomacy from our leaders when it comes to other countries and our strongest trading partner."
"Trump is a different kind of politician," Kealy said. "He's not normal, and we need a leader to actually be able to negotiate with him properly."
Ravi Kahlon, the NDP's cabinet minister in charge of the government's tariff response, said the vote shows the Conservatives' tariff position keeps changing.
"At one point, they're against tariffs; at one point, they're against the carbon tax. Now they're for tariffs and for carbon tax," said Kahlon, referring to Rustad's policy announcement Monday that the party would slap a carbon tax on U.S. coal imports as a bargaining chip in the tariff fight, particularly on softwood lumber.
"The position changes every single day. And the reality is Donald Trump responds to strength. If he senses weakness, he's going to keep coming."
Maas denied that the five no votes represent a party revolt.
"Absolutely not, that's insane," she told reporters.
Banman denied that the vote has created warring factions within the party.
"What you saw for the first time in a long time was MLAs vote with their conscience and were given the right to vote the way they wanted."
Banman said one of the reasons he left his former party, B.C. United, was because Leader Kevin Falcon insisted that all MLAs had to vote the same way or leave the party.
"We're taking a different stance," he said. "There are those that, depending on their personal stance was, what the issues in their ridings were, took a look at this [motion] as being the trap that exactly it was."
Banman said he voted in favour of the motion because of the negative impacts tariffs will have on the agriculture community in his riding of Abbotsford South.
Rustad said the divisions are healthy and natural for an upstart party.
"I'll put it this way. What family in this province doesn't have issues or divisions in it?"
Hamish Telford, a political scientist from the University of the Fraser Valley, says it highlights the potential pitfalls of Leader John Rustad's policy to allow MLAs to vote with their conscience.
"If the Conservative Party is going to survive as a united entity, there's going to have to be some tongue-biting by the different factions in that party," he said. "And it doesn't look like all factions want to bite their tongues."
Social media uproar
This is not the only issue dividing the Official Opposition.
On Monday, Rustad asked the party's attorney general critic, Dallas Brodie, to take down a social media post which critics say amounts to residential school denial.
Brodie wrote: "The number of confirmed child burials at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site is zero. Zero. No one should be afraid of the truth. Not lawyers, their governing bodies or anyone else."
Brodie refused to take down the post, saying her post simply calls for more evidence.
B.C. Conservative House Leader A'aliyah Warbus, a member of the Sto:lo Nation, criticized Brodie on social media, saying, "Questioning the narratives of people who lived and survived these atrocities is nothing but harmful and taking us backward in reconciliation."
Asked about whether Rustad's free speech policy is a problem for the party, Warbus said that was something Conservative leadership and Rustad would have to take a critical look at.
"Those are his decisions and his calls to make," the MLA said. "Where he wants my advice on what to do about those things, he'll come to me and ask me, but he hasn't."
Several former B.C. Conservative candidates, including Bryan Breguet and Paul Ratchford, have called on Rustad to resign.
Banman said he doesn't think Rustad's free vote policy puts his leadership in jeopardy but strengthens it by allowing people to vote with their conscience.
The B.C. Conservatives are holding their annual general meeting on Saturday, which is expected to expose further divisions between the right-leaning flank of the party and its centrists.
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