Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar announces his candidacy for leadership of the BC Conservatives, January 16, 2026. (Image Credit: petermilobar.ca)

By James Peters

TWO & OUT

PETERS: Can Peter Milobar win the leadership of the BC Conservatives? It’s iffy

Jan 16, 2026 | 12:30 PM

PETER MILOBAR has been a city councillor, a TNRD board chair, the longest serving mayor of Kamloops and an opposition MLA.

His next step will potentially be the biggest one yet — he is running to lead BC’s official opposition.

Milobar has joined an increasingly crowded field of candidates to lead the BC Conservatives, already including Caroline Elliott, Iain Black, Sheldon Clare, Yuri Fulmer and Warren Hamm.

It’s been a long time since Milobar ran for a position and lost.

TWO & OUT

PETERS: Celebration from Iranian ex-pats speaks louder than our skepticism of Trump

11h ago

LOOPED IN

LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: March 5, 2026

Mar 05, 2026

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Supporting British Columbians through the Strategic Investment Fund

Mar 05, 2026

His closest scare came in 2011, when Dieter Dudy nearly rode a wave of support to unseat him for the mayor’s chair, coming within 250 votes.

(Ed. note: Milobar’s win over NDP candidate Sadie Hunter in the 2020 provincial election was actually slightly closer – 196 votes.)

Having said that, Milobar’s winning streak is in serious jeopardy with this race.

The 55-year-old will have to overcome a long list of ‘ifs’ to get the job done.

He can do it if he forges the kind of Lower Mainland connections any major party leader needs.

He can win if he then raises significant funds by finding a message that resonates with a large cross-section of Conservative members or centre-right leaning voters in B.C.

In order to do that, he will need to find a signature policy direction.

Peter Milobar is a very capable leader but he doesn’t win his followers over with flash and personal charisma. He wins them over with moderate fiscal policy and sensible social policy.

For this race, he can win if he can translate that into a stance party members can hang their hats on.

The other big ‘if’ surrounds Milobar’s former BC Liberal, BC United connection.

If that doesn’t work against him anymore, he’s got a shot.

There are some BC Conservative true believers who are just as adverse to a BC Liberal as they are to an NDPer.

Milobar has a shot to win his party’s leadership, but he has to satisfy a lot of ‘ifs’.

Then, if he wins, he will have to fight the NDP in an election and be faced with a whole new set of ifs.

——

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.