The party’s Angelo Isidorou says the Conservatives now have more than 42,000 members, up from roughly 7,000 in December. ‘I think people are looking for real leadership.’
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The race to replace John Rustad as leader of the B.C. Conservatives is entering its final stages with five candidates remaining.
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On Friday, the Canada Strong and Free Network was set to close its annual conference in Vancouver with the first of two debates sanctioned by the party.
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Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer and Conversations Live with Stu McNish will co-host the second authorized debate, which will be live streamed Tuesday at 5 p.m. on vancouversun.com.
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Online voting will start in May.
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Sunrise
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Executive director Angelo Isidorou says the Conservatives now have more than 42,000 members, up from roughly 7,000 in December.
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“I think people are looking for real leadership. They’re looking for a party led by an individual that is truly what we call a government in waiting,” said Isidorou.
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Here are the five candidates:
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Iain Black
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Black served as a cabinet minister in Gordon Campbell’s B.C. Liberal government. He also spent many years in business, including working for IBM and founding E-Z Net.
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“I do believe I’m the only one that can pull that caucus together and get them election ready. I do not believe that my other competitors in this race are going to get the respect or the grace of the caucus to actually lead them there,” he said.
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Black also promotes policies that include the redevelopment of the former Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, and reducing regulatory burden for small businesses.
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UBC political scientist Stewart Prest thinks Black is in second place behind Milobar when it comes to support from Conservatives who are fiscally on the right.
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“He would be seen as a safe pair of hands in a moment when there wasn’t a division over what the future of conservatism in the province should be, but I don’t know that the message has particularly resonated or broken through,” he said.
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Caroline Elliott
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An Indigenous policy critic and commentator, Elliott received endorsements from former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell, whom Elliott worked for while in government, and from former Alberta premier Jason Kenney.
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Her brother-in-law, Kevin Falcon, leader of B.C. United, was also recently seen at an event supporting her.
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Prest said Elliott should still be seen as a front-runner who is focused on the populist wing of the party, even though her recent decision to not attend an unsanctioned debate organized by the conservative Juno news organization frustrated some core supporters.
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“For Caroline Elliott, the skipping of the Juno debate seems like it really rubbed members of that populist faction the wrong way. And given that that seems to be the base that she is trying to court and count on, it has come across as being perhaps a little too cavalier or taking things for granted,” said Prest.
