Two former members of the B.C. Conservatives who have been sitting as Independents for months say they are launching a new provincial political party.
Dallas Brodie, the MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, posted on social media Thursday that she is the interim leader of the party called One BC, along with house leader Tara Armstrong, who represents Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream.
In a post on Instagram, Brodie said she built the new party for British Columbians who are "proud of their history and aren't afraid to fight for a prosperous and beautiful future."
"I knew it was time to build something new, to reverse the flight of capital, talent, and young people, to combat the globalist assault on our history, culture and families, to rebuild our corrupted institutions and crumbling infrastructure," she said.
Brodie promises a 10-year vision for a "prosperous tax-free B.C." and said the party will "defund the reconciliation industry," "eradicate gender ideology," "end mass immigration" and "unapologetically advance pro-family policies."
She said the party will end "the government monopoly on health care" and bring in new funding models for infrastructure.
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad kicked Brodie out of his caucus earlier this year over her comments about residential schools, and Armstrong and Jordan Kealy followed days later, although Kealy is not part of the new party.
A statement from the NDP caucus Thursday said the new party was founded on harmful politics and fixated on dividing people.
“These MLAs have attacked one group after the next - Indigenous people, LGBTQ+ people. They just want to make people hate each other. It’s the most divisive and harmful politics we’ve seen in B.C. in our lifetimes," MLA Sheila Malcolmson said in the statement.
"That’s not what B.C. is. And it’s not what B.C. needs, when it’s more important than ever to work together.”
A statement from the B.C. Speaker's office on Thursday afternoon said it has not been advised of any MLAs changing party affiliation but that if two or more members become affiliated with a registered political party, they would form a recognized caucus in the legislature.
One BC has been registered as a party with Elections BC, with Brodie listed as interim leader and former B.C. Conservative candidate Tim Thielmann listed as the contact.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
