Shucking Oysters: Turn Hard Right

Shucking Oysters: Turn Hard Right

By Alex Allen

For some reason Canada always has to follow the lead of the United States on everything. Take the Conservatives (will you please?). Their ideologies and mean-spirited beliefs are no different from the Republicans and yet so many Canadians are embracing their whole agenda. And now, the bumbling BC Conservatives have elected yet another questionable leader: Kerry-Lynne Findlay. 

Findlay, 71-years-old (next provincial election she’ll be 73), has extensive experience in federal Conservative politics. Having been an MP from 2011 to 2015, and again from 2019 and 2025, she served under both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Pierre Poilievre’s cabinet, revealing her fondness for “establishment conservatism.” Accusations of racism and corruption against Findlay only reinforced her anti-establishment narrative. Opposing Indigenous rights and ending sexual orientation and gender identity were a few of her party platforms. 

A leader who wins 51% of the vote is not exactly the favourite nor in full command. Leadership races rarely unite political parties. More often, they deepen divisions. So, as Findlay’s focus shifts to defeating Premier David Eby and the NDP,  “her most immediate mission remains an internal one: uniting a diverse Conservative Party of BC bruised from an acrimonious leadership contest,” The Tyee reported.

Now Findlay needs to find an MLA willing to surrender his or her seat. With 31 of the Conservatives’ 38 MLAs serving their first term, it is unlikely that anyone will give up their coveted seat. An obvious solution is her equally controversial hubby, Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman, who has a history of posting Islamophobic and racist content, among other things.

David Eby’s BC NDP is very vulnerable right now. Cost of living, health care, housing, public safety and major infrastructure delays has made many British Columbians frustrated and angry. The perfect storm for the Conservatives.

Kirk LaPointe wrote that “the Conservative caucus is a political mashup of former BC Liberals, new conservatives, regional voices, populists, social conservatives, fiscal conservatives and rookies who arrived in Victoria on a sudden wave they may yet not appreciate.” 

And then those outliers that left the party. Will Findlay reopen the door to more controversial individuals? Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy,  Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong, and the sweet and lovely Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie?

“We can be a powerhouse in our nation, a powerhouse no longer denied by eastern and global elites, predatory foreign nations and our own Constitution,” Findlay said in her acceptance speech. The Constitution? Where is she going with that? 

Jennifer Whiteside, the BC NDP’s minister of labour, told reporters that Findlay had run a campaign based on “division and racism.” “I think with this result the pro-Trump, extreme-right part of the party is firmly in control,” Whiteside said. “She made comments about her colleagues that were racist in nature; she called out her fellow MLA Peter Milobar because his wife is Indigenous.” 

Hey, it’s all good. Right? 

The world is in a mess and much of it has been caused by Lord Rump and his reckless destruction of everything previously normal. Yes, the NDP are somewhat hapless and feckless in their traditional role of “impotent power.” And as someone so eloquently wrote in a comments section, the “Danielle Smith’s and K-L Findlay’s are just MORE Trumps-in-drag helping the great Orange ANTICHRIST destroy things. It would be good to have a “nice” NDP government that had some vision and brains to go along with “nice” but swapping out the sheep for the demented wolves is NOT an answer.” 

The concern is that we BC voters do not have many options. Don’t like Eby? Vote for Findlay. Don’t like either of the above? Vote for the Greens. Findlay’s party slogan: “Faith, family and freedom.” The three F’s. Anyone here up to adding a fourth?