So you want to start a political party in B.C. Here are the logistics — and potential challenges

Katie DeRosa · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 14, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

A caller governmental enactment has emerged successful British Columbia aft 2 Independent MLAs, formerly of the B.C. Conservative Party, criticized the party's leader, John Rustad, for moving distant from blimpish values. 

So, what does it instrumentality to acceptable up a governmental enactment successful B.C.? And what does it mean for provincial politics? 

One B.C. officially registered arsenic a governmental enactment connected June 9. 

The enactment was acceptable up by erstwhile B.C. Conservative MLAs Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong, calved retired of interior clashes wrong the Official Opposition arsenic it struggled to unite a large structure enactment of MLAs with divers views. 

Elections B.C. says to registry arsenic a governmental party, an enactment must: person a superior intent of fielding of candidates successful provincial elections, have a projected sanction that is not prohibited and have astatine slightest 2 main officers — a fiscal cause and an auditor. 

There is nary interest to taxable a registration exertion to Elections B.C. 

LISTEN | Dallas Brodie talks astir her caller party, One B.C. 

As for the name, projected governmental enactment names cannot see the words "independent" oregon "non-affiliated" and cannot beryllium akin to the sanction of a governmental enactment that is presently registered, have an earlier exertion for registration pending oregon beryllium apt to beryllium confused with different governmental party's sanction that has been registered during the erstwhile 4 years. 

A enactment cannot usage a sanction that has appeared connected a ballot successful B.C. astatine immoderate clip during the past 10 years and cannot see accusation similar a candidate's occupation, title, honours, degrees oregon immoderate denotation that candidates person held elected office. 

Because the enactment has 2 elected MLAs, they volition get authoritative enactment presumption successful the legislature. 

That gives Brodie and Armstrong raises arsenic enactment person and location leader, respectively. 

All MLAs successful British Columbia person a basal wage of $119,532. As leader, Brodie volition person an additional $29,883 a twelvemonth arsenic enactment person and Armstrong an additional  $11,953. 

WATCH | Why these B.C. Conservatives became Independents: 

Brodie insists the enactment has a "path to victory" by courting the blimpish basal which is "disillusioned" with Rustad's leadership. 

However, there's already been a divided among the 3 MLAs who near the B.C. Conservative fold; MLA  Jordan Kealy, besides a erstwhile Conservative, did not articulation One B.C., citing a "disagreement" implicit enactment values and leadership. 

It's an denotation of however hard it is to commencement a enactment from scratch, according to University of British Columbia political idiosyncratic Stewart Prest. 

Prest said immoderate caller governmental enactment faces the situation of landing their connection with a wide swath of British Columbians. 

Even established parties similar the B.C. Liberals struggled to marque inroads aft they changed their sanction to B.C. United, Prest said.