BREAKING: BC Conservative push for new leadership grows to 30 officials

A growing grassroots revolt inside the Conservative Party of British Columbia has now expanded to 30 former and current Riding Association board members, calling for a leadership change.

Source: Facebook

A growing grassroots revolt inside the Conservative Party of British Columbia has now expanded to 30 former and current Riding Association board members and other officials publicly calling on the party caucus to trigger a leadership change.

In a letter dated November 18 and circulated to caucus and constituency offices, Corey Brooks, president of the party’s Burnaby North Riding Association, says 15 additional board members from across B.C. have added their names to an open letter released November 7 by directors from the Burnaby–New West–Tri-Cities region.

The original letter urged caucus to “act with courage and conviction” to begin the process of leadership renewal.

Brooks says the latest signatories, who include elected board members, from regions such as Saanich South, Surrey-Panorama, Peace River North, Penticton-Summerland, and Nanaimo-Lantzville, are now formally endorsing the initial call.

Brooks writes that the mounting number of signatories represents “province-wide” concern among grassroots organizers, whom he describes as the people who “knock doors, raise money and organize the vote.”

“The message is unambiguous,” the letter states. “Continuing with the current leadership makes winning an election virtually impossible.”

Brooks argues caucus has both the authority and a “moral imperative” to act, saying party leaders in the legislature “serve at the pleasure of caucus.”

The letter concludes by urging MLAs to initiate “leadership renewal immediately.”

“Caucus now has a clear path and a moral imperative to act. The rules of our parliamentary democracy are explicit: The Leader of a party in legislature serves at the pleasure of Caucus. We respectfully but urgently call on you to exercise that authority and initiate leadership renewal immediately,” the letter concludes.