Amelia Boultbee said she will not seek re-election in Penticton-Summerland, less than three months after crossing the floor to join the B.C. NDP.
“Because I crossed the floor so recently, I am unable to marshal the kind of campaign necessary to give the NDP a fair shot in this snap election,” said Boultbee in a statement on Monday. “I am stepping aside not because I want to quit, but to make way for a more winnable candidate in these circumstances.”
Boultbee was elected to the legislature as a B.C. Conservative in 2024.
She left the Conservative caucus in October 2025 to sit as an Independent amid criticism of then-leader John Rustad.
Boultbee announced in July she was crossing the floor to the NDP.
She said Monday she joined the NDP because it allowed her to better represent her riding compared to being Independent.
“Crossing the floor was incredibly difficult and carried considerable consequences for me personally, professionally, and politically. I have been threatened, spat at, disowned, and abused in ways both public and private,” said Boultbee.
“I am confident that I did the right thing for the right reasons when I made that decision,” she said.
Boultbee said she plans to continue in politics, but did not specify what her next steps would be.
She urged voters to support the NDP to protect the province from “right-wing, Trump style populism and grave dysfunction.”
NDP leader David Eby thanked Boultbee, saying in a social media post he has “deep gratitude to Amelia for her courage and commitment to her community.”
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