Former B.C. United MLA courts centrist voters with new political party

Katie DeRosa · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 3:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

"There are a batch of national Liberals who were stateless and voted for the NDP successful the past election. We're giving them an accidental to travel backmost to us," Kirkpatrick told CBC News during a sojourn to Victoria, accompanied by her 22-year-old daughter.

"We've seen truthful overmuch divisive speech successful authorities implicit the past twelvemonth … a batch of radical successful British Columbia were looking for an alternate that was much balanced," said Kirkpatrick, who represented West Vancouver-Capilano from 2020 to 2024. 

Kirkpatrick ran unsuccessfully arsenic an Independent successful the past provincial election. That riding was won by B.C. Conservative Lynne Block.

"After the past predetermination wherever a fig of america (former B.C. Liberal MLAs) ran arsenic Independents, we person been contacted by virtually thousands of radical who are truly asking for this," she said.

She admits starting a governmental enactment from scratch is hard — and expensive. But it was the lone enactment aft Kirkpatrick realized the B.C. United committee was not consenting to propulsion Falcon retired arsenic leader, making it intolerable to rebuild the party.

Party officials person maintained they're focused connected paying their debts and can't spend a enactment contention close now.

CBC News asked Falcon for an interview. He declined, but successful a substance message, helium said: "The committee asked maine to enactment connected lone to let them to debar the costs and logistics progressive successful organizing a enactment normal portion they absorption alternatively connected repaying outstanding obligations. On that basis, I agreed to bash so."

"We're present contiguous due to the fact that Kevin Falcon inactive refuses to resign arsenic leader," said Kareem Allam, a governmental strategist with Richardson Strategy Group. 

Allam worked connected Falcon's enactment run successful 2022, but publically backed the B.C. NDP during October's provincial election.

He said the choler galore inactive consciousness for the mode Falcon unilaterally threw successful the towel could beryllium channeled into "momentum and vigor that tin thrust into the centrist party." 

"There hasn't truly been a location for centrist voters," Allam said.

Allam said helium sees a concern wherever Centre B.C. tin devour distant astatine the ballot stock for the B.C. NDP and the B.C. Conservatives. 

"It's going to wounded some parties that presently predominate the Legislature," helium said. 

While the adjacent provincial predetermination is 3 and a fractional years away, Kirkpatrick said the enactment is aiming to pull national Liberals who are energized by Mark Carney's campaign.

"I deliberation (people) are coming backmost to the centre. Over the past fewer years, it has been precise near and precise right. You've adjacent seen the B.C. Conservatives divided themselves."

She's referring to the 3 erstwhile B.C. Conservatives — Dallas Brodie, Jordan Kealy and Tara Armstrong — who near the enactment past period and accused John Rustad of overseeing a toxic enactment that has abandoned Conservative principles.

Before her governmental career, Kirkpatrick worked successful the non-profit sector, was the adjunct dean of UBC's Sauder School of Business and led the Real Estate Foundation of B.C.

She said that acquisition informs Centre B.C.'s halfway principles of fiscal work and societal enactment for British Columbians struggling with the affordability crisis. 

As for the party's name, Kirkpatrick said she learned lessons from the rebranding of the B.C. Liberals to B.C. United, which astir enactment insiders accidental was a flop.

"It was truly hard for radical to prosecute and recognize what the values were," she said. "So I don't deliberation there's thing that tin beryllium much wide than Centre B.C."

When asked astir the caller party, Premier David Eby wished Kirkpatrick luck.

"The erstwhile B.C. Liberal Party is fracturing into aggregate parts these days. I conjecture we'll spot wherever everything lands."