B.C. Conservatives set to name new leader tonight
Five finalists competing in preferential ballot vote as party gathers in Vancouver this evening.
The Conservative Party of B.C. is choosing a new leader in Vancouver tonight, with voting set to begin shortly after 6 p.m. at an event starting at 4:30.
The five finalists are Capilano University Chancellor Yuri Fulmer, conservative commentator Caroline Elliot, Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar, former federal Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, and former B.C. Liberal minister Iain Black. Milobar is the only candidate currently holding a seat in the legislature.
Voting uses a preferential ballot system: if no candidate reaches 50 per cent outright, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their second-choice votes redistributed. This continues in rounds until someone exceeds the threshold.
Voting closed Friday morning. The party's executive director reported more than 25,000 votes cast out of roughly 26,000 eligible members. An independent auditor will oversee the count, with party executives and campaign scrutineers present.
The result shapes provincial politics as the party navigates internal division.