The front-runner for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party paid a visit to the Peace Region this weekend. Peter Milobar was in Dawson Creek Saturday speaking to a crowd of party supporters.
Milobar, the party’s finance critic, talked about unlocking Northeast BC’s natural resource development. He says he plans to strip back the permitting process and get government out of the way to help the economy thrive.
Milobar says he is the only candidate, who ``would win a strong, clear’’ majority government, pointing to recent polling.
The visit came as independent pollster Mainstreet Research has released a new poll that shows Milobar could secure a majority government over David Eby and the British Columbia New Democratic Party.
The poll surveyed 1,054 British Columbia residents and found Milobar received support from 37.7% of voters, the highest level among all leadership candidates.
The Mainstreet poll projects 53 seats for Milobar and the BC Conservatives compared to 38 for the BC NDP. By contrast, the other leadership candidates would each lead only narrow 46-45 minority outcomes over the NDP.
The poll puts Milobar 3.3 percentage points ahead of the next candidate, Iain Black. Caroline Elliott received 32.9% of support among respondents.
The poll also highlights Milobar’s comparatively lower undecided voter rate, suggesting he already commands broader support within the conservative coalition and is well positioned to lead the party, according to Mainstreet Research.
Milobar says the message from voters is clear. “If Conservatives want to create jobs, repeal DRIPA, and grow the economy, we have to win a majority,” he said. Milobar added that achieving that goal will require a united party and expressed hope that members will consider that reality when casting their ballots.
The number of candidates running for the leadership of the B.C. Conservatives has shrunk to seven.
Bruce Banman and Harman Bhangu, both members of the provincial legislature, have dropped out of the race.
Banman says he is endorsing candidate Yuri Fulmer because the entrepreneur is the only candidate with a ``proven track record’’ in the private sector, who knows how to kick-start the economy.
Bhangu has thrown his support behind Caroline Elliott, saying he agrees with her ideas about ``common sense’’ in schools, prosperity for working families and respect for private property.
Also still running are contractor Warren Hamm, former Save-on-Foods executive Darrell Jones, and Milobar, who is now the only sitting legislator vying for the leadership of the official Opposition.
The remaining candidates must pay $40,000 by April 1, then another $60,000 on or before April 18, to remain in the race, with the leader to be announced on May 30.
With files from The Canadian Press