B.C. Conservatives set to name new leader Saturday
Five candidates vying to replace John Rustad. Party emerged from obscurity but fractured under his leadership.
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The British Columbia Conservative Party is announcing its new leader Saturday, pivoting away from the turbulent tenure of John Rustad.
Five candidates remain in the race: former MLA Iain Black, commentator Caroline Elliott, former MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, current MLA Peter Milobar, and entrepreneur Yuri Fulmer. Each paid more than $100,000 to enter.
About 26,000 verified party members voted by Friday using a ranked-ballot system, with the party's executive director reporting 95 per cent turnout.
Under Rustad's leadership, the Conservatives surged from obscurity to come within 30,000 votes of winning the 2024 provincial election. But infighting fractured the caucus. Five Conservative members left the legislature, and Rustad was eventually expelled in December. A sixth former Conservative, Hon Chan, was removed from caucus earlier this year after emerging he'd been charged with assault in an intimate partner violence case.
The new leader will be announced at the party's leadership convention in Vancouver Saturday.
The Conservatives are gambling that fresh leadership can rebuild momentum after a year of public chaos.