Peter Milobar (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

BC CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP RACE

Kamloops MLA Milobar awaiting official leadership race criteria before making final decision

Dec 17, 2025 | 4:37 PM

KAMLOOPS — The BC Conservative Party has yet to release the criteria for its upcoming leadership contest as it looks to replace John Rustad and elect a new leader of the official opposition. A number of names have bandied about, including Vancouver Island MP Aaron Gunn, MLA Harman Bhangu, political commentator Caroline Elliott and a Kamloops MLA, though no one has officially declared.

Immediately after the Conservatives removed Rustad as leader, Peter Milobar wasn’t prepared to shut down a potential leadership bid. A few weeks later and the Kamloops Centre MLA appears to be narrowing his focus.

“I’m still very seriously reviewing it. Obviously, I think everybody whose name has been floating out there is doing the same and we are all kind of in a holding pattern, as well, waiting for the party to advance understandably what the rules are and the timelines, things of that nature,” Milobar told CFJC News. “I would expect as the party starts to solidify what the next steps are with them operationally, you will see myself and others making those final determinations very public.”

While he’s not prepared to declare his intentions until after the official criteria list is released, he understands the importance of uniting the right in an effort to defeat the NDP.

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“What we are starting to already feel on the ground is that the right-of-centre voter out there is saying, ‘We need to down tools on petty internal fighting and we need to actually start to get focused as one unit… to be cohesive and actually move forward with the greater goal that is to actually form government and be able to reverse a lot of the policy and decisions that we have seen made by the (NDP) government,” said Milobar.

If Milobar tosses his hat into the ring, he will quickly be faced with attacks showcasing him as a former BC Liberal, but it’s an affiliation that ties many of the potential candidates together.

“The BC Conservatives only had 500 members a couple of years ago,” said Milobar. “The vast majority of members, the vast majority of members who will join through this leadership race, and in fact the vast majority of leadership candidates will have been either a former BC Liberal MLA, cabinet minister, running for leader — you name it, party member, supporter, voter. I think it’s time to focus again as the right-of-centre option in British Columbia.”