2 MLAs form new B.C. political party that courts social conservatives
One B.C. targets voters upset with direction of B.C. Conservatives
Two of B.C.'s three Independent MLAs have formed a political party that wants to lower taxes, take away teachers' right to strike, and crack down on so-called mass immigration.
The party, called One B.C., also wants an end to what it calls B.C.'s "reconciliation industry," and to see the province allow for private healthcare.
Dallas Brodie, MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, is the interim leader, while Tara Armstrong, who represents Kelowna–Lake Country–Coldstream, is the party's house leader.
"There is a hunger out there for the policies that the B.C. Conservative party initially put forward and we all ran on," said Brodie. "We've got the base now disillusioned with what's happening with that party."
Both politcians were elected as members of the B.C. Conservatives, but parted ways in the winter.
One B.C. registered as a political party on June 9.
Absent from the ticket is the third Independent MLA, Jordan Kealy, who is also a former B.C. Conservative.
"There was a disagreement in what our perspectives were and that's one of the reasons I asked to have more time to think about things," Kealy told CBC News.
Watch | Why these B.C. Conservatives became Independents:
It an attempt to grow the party and poach MLAs, One B.C. sent an email to some B.C. Conservatives.
So far, there are no new defectors.
In March, Brodie was kicked out of the Conservative caucus over comments made on a podcast, which B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad said mocked residential school survivors.
Armstrong and Kealy left in solidarity, accusing Rustad of diluting Conservative values.
CBC News asked Brodie how she can repair relations with Indigenous communities, including the Musqueam First Nation in her riding, which said she has advanced views that amount to a denial of the experience of residential school survivors.
Brodie denied that she was mocking residential school survivors in the podcast interview posted to YouTube.
"I was mocking post-modern, woke culture that does not seem to accept that there are certain truths that are objective truths," she said. Brodie said Rustad advanced a "lie" to "dirty me up after while I was being thrown out of the party."
WATCH | Comments made on a podcast changed the course of this MLA's career:
As for what she means by "defunding the reconciliation industry", Brodie said large sums of money are going to "law firms, accountants, consultants, developers and chiefs and councils and the money is not getting down to where it needs to be."
"I don't know anybody in this province who doesn't want a better way forward for the Native kids and the kids who are living on reserves," Brodie said.
Wade Grant, a Liberal MP and former Musqueam councillor, said it's shameful that Brodie is trying to "play into the fear of what reconciliation means."
"Reconciliation is about bringing together Indigenous peoples, the First Nations, Inuit back into the fold of the mosaic of Canada," he said. Grant said Brodie's position is really "setting reconciliation back generations when we've moved so far forward."
WATCH | Indigenous leader calls out residential school denialism:
The party also advocates for making teachers essential workers and stripping their right to strike, and to slash income taxes by 50 per cent for those making $100,000 or less.
It also wants to end what it calls the "government's deadly healthcare monopoly" by allowing British Columbians to purchase private health care or insurance.
NDP MLA Sheila Malcolmson says the party is founded on division.
"These MLAs have attacked one group after the next — Indigenous people, LGBTQ+ people. They just want to make people hate each other. It's the most divisive and harmful politics we've seen in B.C. in our lifetimes," she said.
Forming an official political party gives the two MLAs a pay raise, funding for caucus staff and more opportunities to ask questions in the legislature.
Former B.C. Liberal and B.C. United communications director Andrew Reeve says the new party could siphon off votes from the B.C. Conservatives, which is also facing a challenge from another new party, Karin Kirkpatrick's Centre B.C.
Rustad, whose own rise to official opposition leader began when he was expelled from the then B.C. Liberals, declined to comment on the new party.
Reeve said Rustad should ignore the upstart party at his peril.
Clarifications
- A previous version of this story implied that One B.C. sent an email to all B.C. Conservative MLAs. The story has been updated to clarify that the email was only sent to some B.C. Conservative MLAs.Jun 13, 2025 2:16 PM EDT
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