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Former BC Conservative Elenore Sturko accuses party of cozying up to far right in talks with OneBC. The October 24 election hinges on right-wing vote splitting.
A former high-profile member of the BC Conservative caucus has accused the party of cozying up to the far right in an effort to win this month's provincial election. Elenore Sturko, now leader of the more moderate CentreBC party, made the allegation after Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson confirmed this week that the party had been in informal talks with OneBC, a splinter party led by Dallas Brodie. The discussions come ahead of the October 24 provincial election.
OneBC Talks Spark Far-Right Concerns
OneBC has publicly offered to make a deal with the Conservatives that would see the further-right party abstain from running candidates in certain key ridings to avoid splitting the right-wing vote on October 24. It is unclear what terms such a deal might include. Brodie, who was ejected from the Conservatives last year for mocking residential school survivors, says she is open to an election deal with the Conservatives.
Asked about the discussions on Tuesday, Doerkson said there had been nothing formal, while reiterating his party's commitment to embracing conservative values. He stated that this was not up for conversation and that the party would bring conservative values to the people of British Columbia.
Sturko said voters deserve to know exactly what those conversations are about. She added that it is clear to her this is the same party, filled with extremists, in a statement on Friday.
Sturko noted word of the OneBC talks emerged days after the Conservative leader condemned Sunday's gathering of white nationalists at the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation, where masked attendees carried a sign mocking reports of possible unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
Residential School Denial and Extremism
Brodie called those reports the worst lie in Canadian history last year while speaking inside the BC legislature, and accused the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation of pretending to have found potential grave sites.
While remains have not been exhumed since the Kamloops discovery, a previous investigation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission identified thousands of children's deaths at residential school sites across the country, including a conservative estimate of 51 in Kamloops.
Sturko said this is not about ordinary disagreements within conservatism but about where you draw the line. She added that you cannot campaign on bringing conservative values to British Columbia while quietly opening the door to a political movement that has been associated with residential-school denial.
In response to Sturko's concerns, a BC Conservative spokesperson told CTV News on Friday that this election is about affordability, emergency rooms that close at night, and whether young people can afford to build a life here. The spokesperson said the party has 93 candidates focused on fixing those problems after nine years of David Eby making every one of them worse, and all candidates are running to win.
The party did not respond to a question about whether negotiations with OneBC were ongoing. Among the Conservatives' candidates is Carson Binda of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, who is running against Brodie in her Vancouver-Quilchena riding, a decision that surprised the OneBC leader this week.
The October 24 election is shaping up to be a critical contest in British Columbia, with the Conservative Party's engagement with OneBC raising questions about the direction of right-wing politics in the province. The outcome could have significant implications for the future of conservative politics in BC.
Sturko's CentreBC party positions itself as a more moderate alternative, and her accusations highlight the ongoing tensions within the conservative movement. The Conservatives' willingness to engage with OneBC, even informally, suggests a strategic move to consolidate right-wing support, but it also risks alienating moderate voters.
As the election approaches, all eyes will be on how these dynamics play out at the polls. The Conservative Party's response to Sturko's allegations and its handling of the OneBC talks could influence voter perceptions and the final election results.
BC Conservatives Elenore Sturko Onebc Lorne Doerkson Dallas Brodie BC Election Far Right
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