‘Not the first British Columbian that has had these feelings’; Milobar leaves Tory Caucus

Milobar was busy working in his conservative critic role earlier this week, noting a few days off helped make his decision clear.

“I’m the first one within caucus and maybe the only one within caucus that makes this move but I’m certainly not the first British Columbian that has had these feelings or concerns about the direction of the party,” said Milobar.

Kamloops is represented by two MLA’s in Victoria, Ward Stamer says he has no plans to leave caucus, and hopes to keep working with Milobar on important issues for Kamloops.

“I thought we had strong policy and a strong team and we almost won the last election. And I still believe we still have strong policies and a strong team and hopefully we can work through this process,” said Stamer.

“If even Peter Milobar can’t vote with the conservatives then British Columbians shouldn’t vote for them,” said Premier David Eby during a press conference Friday (Aug 14) morning.

Milobar was seen as the most moderate candidate vying for party leadership, his departure potentially stirring up interest for those in the murky political middle.

“I think it’s still important that the NDP lose the next election frankly and that are no longer government,” said Milobar. “So the next steps for the conservative party is to make sure that they demonstrate to the public that they are that option. And if not them somebody needs to.”

While easy enough to say, a right of centre vote split could be tough to overcome for any party against the governing NDP.

“Well I don’t know what B.C. politics will look like on Tuesday, let alone two years from now. But I certainly haven’t had any discussions with Centre BC or any other political parties about anything like that. This is strictly a move I feel I needed to make at this time. What the next steps look like I’m not entirely sure.”

by Michael Reeve

‘Not the first British Columbian that has had these feelings’; Milobar leaves Tory Caucus

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