OneBC pledges not to run against eight ‘principled’ B.C. Conservative candidates

While the political right is represented by three parties this year, one of them is promising not to split the vote in certain ridings.

OneBC Leader Dallas Brodie says her party won’t run candidates against certain B.C. Conservatives.

“We’re going to hold off or stand down in those ridings where the BC Conservative Party is running individuals who we see as principled conservatives who have shown their track record in the legislature as to how they vote on things,” Brodie said on Monday.

Brodie, who was kicked out of the B.C. Conservatives by its former leader John Rustad because of comments she made about residential schools, says she has identified eight candidates with the B.C. Conservatives whose views she agrees with, particularly their perspectives on SOGI and scrapping sexual orientation resources for teachers.

Those eight B.C. Conservative candidates are Heather Maahs, Kristina Lowen, Anna Kindy, Sharon Hartwell, Macklin McCall, Sheldon Clare, David Williams and Lawrence Mok.

Brodie explained that she wants them elected without the challenge of vote splitting.

“What we are doing is optimizing the conservative movement in British Columbia,” she said.

Political scientist Hamish Telford said Brodie is attempting to cherry-pick where she splits the vote, so as to reshape the B.C. Conservatives from the outside.

“She’s trying to split the votes, so that more moderate conservatives don’t get re-elected, or elected at all, and the ones who do get elected are in line with her thinking and her style of conservatism,” said Telford on Monday.

Adding to the mix on the right is CentreBC, briefly home to multiple MLAs who left the B.C. Conservatives when Kerry-Lynne Findlay was leader, only to return last week after David Eby called the snap election and Lorne Doerkson was named interim leader.

CentreBC’s new leader, Elenore Sturko, says she won’t hold off running candidates against B.C. Conservatives, but wants to hold the balance of power with what she hopes is a B.C. Conservative premier.

“David Eby has been pile-driving the economy into the ground through his legislation and decisions because he refuses to listen to industry leaders, and that has to change,” she said.