VICTORIA–B.C.’s newest party is a conservative spinoff that would make cuts and continues to welcome MLAs who push far-right conspiracy theories.

The new party includes Rosalyn Bird and Bruce Banman, both of whom supported the illegal anti-vaccine “freedom” convoy. Bird donated to the convoy, and Banman originally left B.C. United over the party’s opposition to it. Banman has also expressed doubts on the scientific consensus on climate change. 

All of the new party’s MLAs ran under John Rustad, who accused Dr. Bonnie Henry of using vaccines as a “control on the population,” and whose support for climate conspiracies got him ejected from the B.C. Liberals. They also tolerated Brent Chapman’s racist comments about Muslims, Heather Maahs and other MLAs embracing homophobia, and several of their colleagues defending Donald Trump.  

Milobar has served as B.C. Conservative finance critic as the party called for spending cuts that would inevitably impact healthcare, and says his fellow MLAs find even CentreBC to be “left of centre for their liking.”

Rohini Arora, B.C. NDP MLA for Burnaby East:

“Between supporting healthcare cuts and backing conspiracy theories on vaccines and climate change, it’s clear that this new conservative party isn’t a home for British Columbians who are moderate or socially progressive. While these conservative parties fight over which of them should get the chance to cut healthcare, David Eby and our team will keep hiring doctors, bringing down housing costs, and standing up to Donald Trump.”