Five BC MLAs form new political party

Five independent Members of the Legislative Assembly announced Friday they are forming a new political party in British Columbia, aiming to provide a stable alternative ahead of the next provincial election. The group, which includes Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar and Delta South MLA Ian Paton, will hold five seats in the legislature, granting them official third-party status when the fall session begins on October 5. The new entity, which remains unnamed, is comprised of Milobar, Paton, Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird, Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman, and Chilliwack-Cultus Lake MLA Áʼalíya Warbus. All five MLAs recently departed the Conservative Party caucus, citing disagreements with party leadership. They are part of a larger exodus of nine MLAs who have left the Conservative Party since Kerry Lynn Findlay won the leadership race in late May. Milobar will serve as the interim leader of the new party, with an internal leadership vote scheduled to take place before the legislature reconvenes.