Peter Milobar, Caroline Elliott confirm bid for B.C. Conservative leadership

Kamloops-Centre MLA Peter Milobar said Friday he will run in the B.C. Conservative Party’s leadership race.

He made the announcement Friday outside the legislature, highlighting what he says is a health care system in crisis and concerns about private property being threatened by Indigenous title rights.

Milobar served as mayor of Kamloops from 2008 to 2017, when he was elected as a B.C. Liberal MLA. He held critic roles and served as Opposition house leader with the Liberals. He was finance critic after the party rebranded to B.C. United, a role he now holds with the B.C. Conservatives.

Fellow ex-Liberal Iain Black also announced Thursday he plans to enter the race.

Political commentator and former B.C. United vice-president and candidate Caroline Elliott also formally launched her campaign on Friday. Elliott is known for her criticism of “woke” political views and Indigenous reconciliation.

The North Vancouver resident posted a campaign video and a link to a campaign website to social media on Friday.

Her entrance into the contest was telegraphed earlier this week by high-profile conservative strategist Kory Teneycke, who revealed on a podcast he’d be managing her campaign.

The growing field of leadership hopefuls also includes Vancouver businessman Yuri Fulmer, Prince George-North Cariboo MLA Sheldon Clare and Rossland contractor Warren Hamm.

Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford took over as interim party leader after John Rustad bowed to pressure from his caucus and stepped down in early December.

The B.C. Conservatives said earlier this month they had formed a committee to oversee its leadership race, chaired by former Conservative Party of Canada president Scott Lamb.

Lamb said the committee is working on setting rules for the leadership contest and will announce an election as soon as possible.

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