Peter Milobar is the new leader of CentreBC after he and seven other former B.C. Conservative MLAs joined the party Friday.
Mike Bernier stepped aside as CentreBC leader to make way for Milobar, who represents Kamloops Centre.
The move gives CentreBC eight seats in the legislature, making it the third-largest party.
The new members include Elenore Sturko, who has been sitting as an Independent since she was kicked out of the B.C. Conservative caucus last year by then-leader John Rustad.
The others, including Milobar, defected from the B.C. Conservative caucus in recent weeks over frustrations with Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s leadership.
The other new CentreBC members are Teresa Wat, Áʼa꞉líya Warbus, Ian Paton, Rosalyn Bird, Bruce Banman and Donegal Wilson. The seven had previously rallied around Milobar as interim leader of an unnamed new political group.
Milobar said Friday that he and Bernier had been talking about a possible merger for several weeks, but they needed to act quickly amid mounting speculation that Premier David Eby is set call a snap election imminently.
Milobar said CentreBC is vying to be a credible alternative to the B.C. NDP government, as the Opposition Conservatives grapple with internal divisions and departures from the caucus.
He said he expects CentreBC’s ranks to grow in the coming days.
“We’ve reached out to a lot of our colleagues and friends from there to let them know that they’re welcome to come over, and a lot are making some very serious decisions over the next few hours,” said Milobar.
Milobar said he’s not worried about splitting the conservative vote, saying he believes British Columbians aren’t interested in culture war rhetoric.
“It’s up to the electorate to actually rally around what we are building, and as I’m confident that the disintegration of the Conservative party that we’re watching real time continues to happen, more and more people will get behind what we are building and what we’re rallying them around,” he said.
Sturko said Milobar approached her about joining CentreBC.
“When Peter and the team asked me if I would join, I was very, very enthusiastic to say yes, because it’s time for us to put professionalism first, British Columbians first, and to work together, to defeat the NDP,” she said.
Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day is also among those who quit the B.C. Conservative caucus in recent weeks, but he has not indicated, as of Friday, whether he will join Milobar’s CentreBC team.
