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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FORSETH – My question is, ‘How do we decide who is blue enough to be called a Conservative?’


How do we decide who’s blue enough to be a Conservative?


AS OF TODAY (Friday January 30th), there are now eight individuals who have put their names forward to lead the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Having been involved with BC’s Conservatives since 2010, and having seen MANY ups and downs, having 8 people say “I want to lead the party” is to me, an incredible turn-around from the past.

Sadly, however, it seems that our party cannot seem to shake what I, and others, call a purity test of ‘what is a Conservative’. And that seems to have already come to the forefront of the campaign by a couple of candidates.

Let me just say as a Conservative Party of BC member, and as someone active in the party, that frustrates me to no end.

Conservatives, more than any other political philosophy or belief, at least to me, seems to have the widest and broadest spectrum of ideals.

 

For the most part, they are anchored by these central thoughts --- smaller and less intrusive government, gradual change rather than radical, advocating for free markets, and fiscal responsibility. From there, the divisions seem endless, as show by just these few:

Progressive conservatives … social conservatives … libertarian conservatives … centre-right conservatism … right of centre conservatives … far-right conservatives … and traditionalists.

So, with this kind of diversity, HOW is it possible to have a narrow definition of who, or what, is a Conservative?

I am the Admin on a political Facebook page, and there has been heated debate on this very topic.  That said, no one yet has defined what it is not be a Conservative.  The most ardent simply say anyone that has at one time been a BC Liberal can NEVER be a Conservative.

On that I call BS!

My question is, ‘How we should be deciding who is conservative enough to be called a Conservative?’


Is it a multiple-choice quiz?

Is it a Yes or No quiz?

Is there some kind of psychological evaluation?

Or this one, which is my favorite question to toss back at those who question anyone’s conservative bona fides:

“Is there a genetic blood test that filters conservatism?”

Here’s the thing, and it’s something anyone that follows BC politics knows – or at least in my opinion -- should know. 

The BC NDP pretty much have a lock on 40 percent of the vote.  While their share of the vote has been decreasing over the past 3 elections, the BC Greens have received, on average, 15% of the vote.

Those two numbers combined equal fifty-five (55) percent.

There CANNOT be any kind of a split on the centre-right, right of centre, or right.  They MUST work together to bring about the defeat of the provincial NDP in the next general election – whenever it may be.

So, my comment to the leadership candidates is this; ‘End the purity test’ and do it today! We are all Conservatives!




UPDATED (01/30/26) – here, in alphabetical order, are the websites of those currently seeking leadership of the Conservative Party of BC:

Warren Hamm – was first to declare but still no website currently available

Stay tuned regarding Bruce Banman – rumoured to be announcing next week


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  1. AnonymousJanuary 30, 2026 at 3:13 PM

    As an outsider to Conservative politics my observation is that the BC Liberals WERE the conservative party. And the SoCreds before them.

    The purity tests happen on the left too, but I think at this moment in time right or centrist leaning non-Conservatives look at the culture warriors and hyper partisan nature of the current party and its off shoots and think “we dodged a bullet with that bunch.”

    You cannot govern in BC without captivating the centre, a swath of voters that always lies outside your core base. Insiders of all parties love the purity tests (the federal NDP is going through that now) but those kinds of things are luxuries of opposition. When you govern you become more centrist. That how the Liberals stayed in power for so long and it’s why the NDP are holding on to power now. Being in opposition makes you hyper partisan and that runs the risk of alienating folks who would otherwise hold their nose and out you in government. You need those folks to have power. And you have to govern in a way that at least partially addresses their interests.

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