Former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Mike Bernier has jumped back into politics, and he has a challenging task ahead of him, to say the least.
Bernier is the new leader of CentreBC, a fledgling political party that is trying to offer a centrist alternative to both the B.C. NDP and the B.C. Conservative Party.
He told me he wants to build a so-called “big tent party” that attracts people with all kinds of political persuasions, and he hopes to attract voters from across the political spectrum.
He is also hoping to attract some sitting MLAs, and this is where things may get very interesting in the months ahead.
The new leader of the B.C. Conservatives, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, has moved her party significantly to the hard right and has said she has no interest in a big tent party.
In fact, she seems intent on purging her party of any traces of lingering connections to the B.C. Liberal Party. Some staff with suspect ties have already been fired, and more changes are likely still ahead.
There are also a handful of Conservative MLAs who have direct ties to the former B.C. Liberal party, and one must wonder what is going through their heads right now.
And there are others who backed the leadership candidacies of Peter Milobar, Iain Black and Caroline Elliott – all of whom were linked by varying degrees to the B.C. Liberals.
Do these MLAs stay in the B.C. Conservative caucus, not knowing if they have a secure political future with her on top? Or do they sit as Independent MLAs, waiting to see how a Findlay-led party does in the months ahead?
More intriguingly, however, can Bernier woo any of them into his camp? Only two seats are required to attain official party status in the B.C. legislature, and I count about a dozen or so current B.C. Conservative MLAs who must be a little worried about their future right now.
There are rumblings that Findlay may hold open nominations in ridings currently held by B.C. Conservative MLAs. There is also the question of whether she would sign the nomination papers of any candidate with links to the B.C. Liberals.
Bernier tells me he has already been contacted by some current MLAs, so overtures seem to be taking place from both sides (he also says he has had conversations with some NDP MLAs, although I think a defection from that camp seems less likely).
Lest you think this kind of potential drama will likely not occur, keep in mind that a record number of MLAs have already left that B.C. Conservative caucus for various reasons.
And before discounting the potential impact the CentreBC party could have, don’t forget the B.C. Conservative Party came out of nowhere over the course of just months to the point of coming within a hair of winning the last B.C. election.
As I have noted here before, there are many people who consider themselves to be “politically homeless” right now. For them, the B.C. Conservatives are far too right-wing, and the NDP is either too far to the left or has just too much baggage to draw their continued support.
If Bernier can snag a few current MLAs, that will shake things up considerably.
I doubt much will happen on this front over the summer, but when the fall session begins in October, we may be on “defection watch” for a while.
Keith Baldrey is the legislature bureau chief for Global BC
Keith.Baldrey@globalnews.ca
