Why the rise of the B.C. Conservative Party could change the province's political dynamic

For a group that last held power in 1952, it's been a heady week for the B.C. Conservative Party.

Last week, in a poll conducted by Mainstreet Research among 601 adults in B.C., the party received 21 per cent — higher than the official opposition B.C. United Party. 

(For comparison purposes only, a randomized sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/-4.1 percentage points.)

On Wednesday, they added to their momentum by adding Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman, as he defected from United to the Conservatives — months after its now-leader John Rustad did the same.

"I believe B.C. needs a leader who is a straight-up, decent human being, and a party that's willing to put politics aside to stand for what's right," Banman said.

"Stand for what's right" is always in the eye of the beholder. 

But what's clear is there's a growing debate in B.C. over who stands for the right side on the political spectrum — in a way that hasn't been seen in this province for more than a generation. 

Broadly speaking, for the last 70 years B.C. politics has been defined by the provincial NDP on one side of the political spectrum, and a centre-right party defined by its opposition on the other. 

Whether it's B.C. United, their previous identity as the B.C. Liberals, or the Social Credit Party that ran B.C. for decades, the party tried to attract a coalition of federal Conservatives and Liberals, with a mixture of policies that may have skewed to the right, but were usually intended to appeal to both groups. 

That sort of combination wasn't seen in any other major Canadian province — and in an era with increased polarization and populism, might be more difficult than ever to pull off.

"There's a division going on in society right now, where I think the notion of a coalition party is not what it used to be," said Angelo Isidorou, membership chair for the B.C. Conservatives.

Isidorou worked with Aaron Gunn on his leadership for the then-B.C. Liberals before he was disqualified, and argued "there was definitely a void" for a truly authentic conservative option. 

Allie Blades, a campaign strategist for Mash Strategy who worked on leadership campaigns with B.C. United and Pierre Poilievre's federal leadership campaign, said the B.C. Conservatives were talking about issues in a more populist way — and through more grassroots mediums — in a way that's connecting.   

"I received a text message from a friend of mine this morning that I think encompasses this perfectly and he said, 'I'm a Conservative, and if there is no longer a coalition, then I need to return to my family,'" she said.