UPDATE: DRIPA legislation won’t be confidence motion; Milobar calls for clarity and preparation around leadership race

The Premier will need the vote of every single member of his 47-person caucus, and that is currently in question. Should a snap election be called, it would also put the B.C. Conservatives in a weird spot, as they are still in the midst of a leadership contest.

If Eby’s NDP government fall this week, the writ period could place election day as soon as the end of May, perhaps even May 30 – the same day the BC Conservatives had set for their leadership convention.

“We’ve always known that there could be confidence votes, in fact we had one the last week I was here and the government survived that vote,” Kamloops Centre MLA and B.C. Conservative leadership candidate Peter Milobar said.

“This is about making sure that the party actually knows what the next steps would be in terms of a resumption of the leadership race, a suspension of the leadership race, we can’t afford time in a snap election to be figuring that stuff out after the writ has already been dropped.”

One of Milobar’s opponents in the leadership race, Caroline Elliot has called for the Tories to have a snap leadership vote of their own, but the Kamloops MLA doesn’t see that happening.

“I don’t see how [it could happen] procedurally, unless you are prepared to just walk away from the party’s constitution which is totally contrary to saying you are giving voice to the grass roots,” added Milobar. “So this is about coming up with a gameplan, what does it look like if a snap election is called.”

Milobar previously voiced his support for the party contesting the election – if the writ is dropped – with interim leader Trevor Halford at the helm. Before walking into the Legislature this morning (April 13), Milobar said he believes the confidence motion could come on either Monday or Wednesday.

“This whole leadership race has been run under this fear of the NDP having a snap election if they lost a confidence vote with a one-seat majority,” Milobar told CFJC News.

“I’m simply saying its time for the party to sit down with the five leadership candidates – no handlers, no spin doctors, anything like that in the room, actual people who are saying that they would like to be the leader of this party -and figure out what the next steps are if a general election is called.”

by Michael Reeve

UPDATE: DRIPA legislation won’t be confidence motion; Milobar calls for clarity and preparation around leadership race

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