Vaughn Palmer: For new B.C. Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, it's about 'faith, family and freedom'

Kerry-Lynne Findlay served in cabinet in Stephen Harper’s government and was the chief opposition whip under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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VICTORIA — Former federal cabinet minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay cast herself as the one, true blue Conservative in the campaign for the B.C. party leadership that culminated Saturday evening with her narrow, fourth ballot victory.

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“B.C. Liberal insiders are trying to take over the Conservative party of B.C.,” declared Findlay’s campaign literature. “They want to steal the Conservative name and push the same hidden liberal agenda. Let me be clear: Liberals are not taking over our Conservative party. Not on my watch.”

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Findlay triumphed in early counts over former B.C. Liberal MLA Peter Milobar and former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Iain Black. On the final ballot, she defeated the last remaining challenger, Caroline Elliott, whose political roots were in the B.C. Liberal and B.C. United parties.

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Elliott started out five percentage points behind Findlay and closed to within two on the final ballot because of second and third choices of supporters of candidates who were dropped in the early rounds.

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But as often happens with preferential balloting, the candidate who led on the first count was able to hang on and win on the final count.

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Elliott supporter Bryan Breguet noted that her meagre first ballot showing of 25 per cent came despite her raising $1.8 million, reputedly the most of any of the five candidates.

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When she fell two points short of winning on the final ballot, Breguet blamed Elliott’s decision to forgo attending the April 8 leadership debate staged by Juno news, a right-leaning agency.

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“Given how close it was, I believe it is an absolute certainty that not attending the Juno debate cost Elliot the leadership,” wrote Breguet on X social media. A second factor was her decision to hire Kory Teneycke, a Conservative party strategist from Ontario.

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Findlay, who attended the Juno debate along with Black and candidate Yuri Fulmer, made political hay of Elliott’s no show.

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At the last debate, broadcast on Global TV, Findlay took the nastiest shot of the campaign.

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She challenged Milobar over a possible conflict of interest because his wife and children are Indigenous.

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When I asked Findlay about the accusation Saturday, she replied, “I did not accuse him. I asked him a question.”

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The transcript of the Global debate tells a different story.

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Findlay: “The property-rights issue is overlying all of this, and Mr. Milobar, I do not see how, on the major issue of our time, you will be able to get around the conflict-of-interest rules.”

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Milobar: “Just say it. My wife’s Indigenous, so you think I’m in conflict of interest. I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life.”

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If the exchange generated any sympathy for Milobar, it did not show up in the voting. He finished fifth and last.

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But it raised questions about whether he could work with Findlay if she won. She said Saturday that she could. He told Kamloops Radio CFJC reporter Michael Reeve much the same: