BC Conservative MLA's (L) Ward Stamer, Kamloops-North Thompson & (R) Peter Milobar, Kamloops Centre/via BC Conservative Party
Both Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar and Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer say they remain part of the BC Conservative caucus and have no intention of joining the ranks of three others who have parted ways with the Party.
Following the Friday ouster Attorney General critic Dallas Broadie for comments and positions the Party deemed unacceptable in connection with Residential Schools and the issue of unmarked grave sites in Kamloops, a pair of Conservatives decided to follow her out the door.
This includes Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Rene Tara Armstrong, who took her cue from Peace River-North MLA Jordan Kealy.
Kamloops-North Thompson BC Conservative Ward Stamer says he will NOT be following in their shoes.
“Absolutely not. Paul, absolutely not,” stated Stamer emphatically when asked if he had any interest in joining those that have left. “It’s unfortunate that our member from Quilchena Vancouver [Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Broadie] decided that she was going to stand up for whatever she thinks she should be standing up for. It [her stance on possible unmarked graves] goes totally against our Party’s policies.”
Stamer says the BC Conservative Party believes in free speech but suggests that her ‘line in the sand’ over language surrounding possible unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on Tk’emlups misses the point.
“Quite frankly, I think it’s quite disgusting that there is even people that would think that these atrocities and these abuses didn’t take place because they did,” noted Stamer. “We [as a Party] shouldn’t have to be constantly trying to remind ourselves or justify what somebody else is saying.”
“We know that we have to move along with this,” added Stamer. “That’s why it’s so critical for us to be working together with our First Nations. For somebody to be this insensitive, to say what she said, is really unfortunate.”
Three MLA’s who are no longer members of the BC Conservative caucus. Dallas Broadie (L), Jordan Kealy (C) and Tara Armstrong (R)/via BC Legislature
Stamer’s position is backed up by the other BC Conservative MLA representing Kamloops, Peter Milobar.
“Ms. Brodie’s mocking tone of voice in that video, basically mocking survivors of child sexual abuse, and things of that nature…totally unacceptable,” the MLA for Kamloops Centre told Radio NL. “Appropriate steps were taken by John Rustad to remove her.”
Milbar, whose wife and family are Indigenous, suggests while issues around Indigenous rights and Canada’s past relationship with Indigenous communities can be contentious at times, he says they can also lead to further conversations.
But in this case, he says BC Conservative leader John Rustad made the right move, suggesting Rustad has shown that intolerance on these issues is not acceptable.
“John and I talked about Indigenous issues even before I agreed to run for the BC Conservatives. He’s known all along where I stand. I know where John stands,” noted Milobar. “He was a former Indigenous Relations minister and signed almost 450 agreements with Indigenous communities while he was minister.”
“I’m not surprised that he took the steps he did,” added Milobar. “Ultimately, he is the leader, and it was his call to make the change or not, and I 110% supported the action that he did take.”
Is this the last of the defections?
Even before things came to a head in Victoria on Friday, there had been rumblings of a split within the BC Conservative caucus over the level at which the party should, or wanted, to approach social issues.
Among the first signs was a letter signed by thirteen BC Conservative MLA’s which ended up being leaked to the media in early December.
In it, the letter called out fellow MLA and Conservative caucus member, Elenore Sturko, for her decision to side with the Vancouver Police Board in firing a member of its board, who is of African descent, for public comments around diversity and what she perceives as lack of assimilation among immigrants into Canada’s “Christian culture.”
Ousted Vancouver Police Board Vice-Chair Comfort Sakoma (L) with BC Conservative Leader John Rustad (R)/via John Rustad on X
In the end, John Rustad would side with the signatories to the letter but took no further public action after Sturko refused his suggestion to meet with the ousted board member, Comfort Sakoma.
One of the thirteen signatories to the letter which found its way public was Ward Stamer.
While he has chosen not to outline his rationale for putting his name to the letter, Stamer contends there is still unity among those who remain within the BC Conservative caucus.
He suggests the three who have decided to leave the Party may only be listening to voices they want to hear.
“I think it comes down to, maybe, a bit of ideology,” said Stamer when asked whether there may be others within the BC Conservative ranks who are thinking of leaving. “[It] also comes down to, maybe, what people are hearing from a select group of people, and are, maybe, not totally representing what the majority of the constituents want them to do.”
Milobar too suggests the MLA’s who quit the caucus on Friday are likely the last defections, noting the three were among five BC Conservatives who didn’t vote in favor of a motion to condemn US President Donald Trump for his moves on tariffs and his suggestions to make Canada the 51st US state.
Milobar says their departure should make it easier for the rest of the Conservative caucus to focus on policy issues.
“The people that have gone, they were actually causing a lot of that distraction,” argued Milobar.
“I think if anything we can [now] make sure that we’re framing things and holding the government to account on things that people actually worry about in their everyday lives, being the economy and crime and safety and housing and the ever-growing deficit that we have within BC.”
