B.C. Conservative members grapple with the future direction of the big tent party [Video]

As the B.C. Conservatives settle into their role as the Official Oppositon after decades in the political wilderness, more than 750 party members gathered this weekend to decide on the direction of the party. 

The party’s annual general meeting was held in Nanaimo, a provincial NDP stronghold, which sparked a quip from former B.C. Conservative candidate Tim Thielmann.

“It’s one of the wokest, most hostile environments in the province,” said Thielmann, one of the members who challenged current president Aisha Estey to lead the party’s board of directors. 

The goal of the meeting is to elect the future board of directors and decide on policy objectives for the upstart party, which went from capturing two per cent of the vote in 2020 to coming within three seats of toppling the governing B.C. NDP in the 2024 election.