Two days before Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s resignation, eight former B.C. Conservative MLAs announced they were joining CentreBC, a party now billed as an alternative for right-leaning voters fed up with months of turmoil under Findlay’s leadership. Now that Findlay has stepped down, former premier Christy Clark hopes those eight MLAs and the remaining B.C. Conservatives merge to take on the NDP. “I think they will all come together if and when an election is called,” she said. ”They all see what the NDP government has done to people, working people in every corner of the province, and they all want to get it fixed.“ “I believe all of them will be prepared to sacrifice a little bit of pride and principle in order to get there.” As for which party absorbs the other, Clark guessed the B.C. Conservatives would prevail over CentreBC “because it’s established and it’s got a lot more infrastructure.” “That will be a decision that they need to make as individuals and then as a caucus, but I can tell you, every single one of them has got the fire in their belly to just win this election,” she said. If the two parties agree to unite, Clark said the next step would be choosing a leader in time for a possible snap election. “They need to find a leader that is acceptable to the entire core, to the caucus,” said Clark. “I don’t know how it’s all going to work. Nobody does yet. I think the answer to that is going to probably emerge in the next day or two.” Clark said she is ready to step in to campaign for the right-of-centre party if a snap election is called. “Once they decide to choose a leader, I will be there if they want me to, and I’ll campaign all across the province if they want me to, to make sure that we do everything we can,” she said. When asked whether her name has come up as a possible leadership candidate for a right-of-centre coalition, the former premier did not say no, and played up her ability to unite. “I’ve got a lot of experience in managing diverse caucuses; I can tell you, I’m of the view I don’t judge people for all the range of things that we might disagree on. I tend to look to people and say, let’s talk about the things that we can agree on,” Clark said. Asked if she’s implying she’s ready to step forward as a potential leader, Clark replied: “I’m saying I’m going to help however I can.”
