Thoughts on BC Politics and More

The voters in the provincial riding of Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream elected Tara Armstrong in October 2024 to represent them as a British Columbia Conservative MLA. She won the riding with a solid 53.92% of the vote with the NDP coming in at a distant second with 35.25%. Her win was all but guaranteed as the area has been a strong anti-NDP stronghold for generations. When Kevin Falcon folded the BC United Party up and packed it in Armstrong has no competition on the right. Independent Kevin Kraft, formerly of BC United, had no official banner to run under and he pulled in a measly 6.5% of the vote. The brief history That all changed when the party expelled Dallas Brodie early in 2025 for her belittling comments on the survivors of Residential School. Her comments were considered so off putting and inappropriate that the BC Conservatives didn't even want her. New Democrats might smarmily declare that the bar has to be pretty high for them to toss out a member ...

Image Credit:   UBC If there is anything to be learned from the uproar around OneBC, it is this: in British Columbia’s parliamentary system, voters elect MLAs, not parties - and MLAs do not surrender their independence the moment they are sworn in. Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong were duly elected by their constituents. They did not lose their seats when they left the BC Conservatives, nor should they have. Our system has always recognized that caucus affiliation is voluntary. Conscience, disagreement, or principled breaks are not defects of democracy - they are features of it. The rules around official party status are not secret, novel, or accidental. They were debated, amended, and adopted by the legislature itself. If two MLAs meet the threshold, they qualify. OneBC did exactly what the law allows, no more and no less. Complaining after the fact because one dislikes the outcome is not a serious argument-it’s buyer’s remorse. Public funding is not a reward for p...

If there is anything to be learned from the collapse of the circus tent, perched atop the clown college, located inside the dumpster fire known as OneBC, it is this: the British Columbia public should not be funding political parties that nobody voted for. For six months, taxpayers have forked over roughly $300,000 in public funding to a political entity that did not exist on the ballot last October ... ... MLAs who seek new party status at the legislature ought to go back to the polls in bye-elections to get a mandate from their constituents for their new ideas and affiliations. It’s not a punitive ask. It’s simply requiring MLAs to seek consent from the voters before accessing hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funding for a brand-new political project ... CLICK HERE for the full story

As the far-right party OneBC implodes, accusations are flying across social media — and many of them involve a 22-year-old Vancouver man and OneBC staffer who once claimed to work for the Donald Trump administration and has posted a variety of antisemitic and white nationalist content online. In a Dec. 14 post on X, Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie said she demanded Othman Mekhloufi be fired when she discovered “values Mekhloufi has expressed publicly, online and offline, that are absolutely incompatible with my personal and OneBC values”  ... ...  Who is Othman Mekhloufi? Mekhloufi attended University Hill Secondary in Vancouver, according to a source who went to the same school. An archived link shows he was active in debate club. Mekhloufi has already received scrutiny for the content of his X account, @OthmanOnX. The account has now been made private, although it still includes a link to Mekhloufi’s website. In January 2025, when the account was still public, some of ...

BC political party OneBC says it has removed its co-founder MLA Dallas Brodie as its leader — but she says she still considers herself its head ... ...  Brodie, MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, said the situation has moved quickly but she still considers herself as the leader of the party. "We're still looking into the legalities of it, but I consider myself to be the leader," she told CBC News before a meet-and-greet in the Township of Langley Sunday ... ... Brodie said she intends to continue her mission and represent her constituents. "I will not stop, I will not give in and I won't surrender on any of this" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

In a span of just 36 hours, OneBC, the breakaway party formed by former B.C. Conservative MLAs Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong, imploded in full public view, ending with a constitutional rewrite, Brodie’s abrupt ouster as leader, and Armstrong taking control of the party. What began as reports of internal staffing changes quickly escalated into a highly visible power struggle involving the party’s only two MLAs, senior staff, and board members, marked by firings, public loyalty declarations, loss-of-confidence statements, and serious allegations aired in real time. Below is a chronological timeline of events, drawn directly from public statements, social media posts, and party documents ... CLICK HERE for the full story

A new party in British Columbia has been gaining attention for its provocative and inflammatory positions, including anti-Indigenous rhetoric and residential-school denialism, abolishing DEI, anti-LGBTQ2S+ policies and more. OneBC, a political party in BC with only two seats, founded earlier this year by Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie, has been making a lot of noise in and outside of the legislature in an apparent attempt to gain favour with BC’s far right ... CLICK HERE for the full story     

Leader Dallas Brodie has said, among other things, that Indigenous rights are a bigger problem than Trump tariffs, and that “DEI must d-i-e.”  Fringe views have rarely been more emphatically or routinely expressed in the BC legislature than they have in the current sitting. Much of the parliamentary process works toward moderating differences, but a combination of circumstances has created a window where a small handful of MLAs are pushing into extreme territory, past usual conventions. Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie is leading the charge ... CLICK HERE for the full story

OneBC Leader Dallas Brodie today called for an immediate suspension of immigration into  Canada, citing the strain of mass migration on British Columbia’s housing, healthcare, and job markets.  “British Columbia has been overwhelmed by mass migration,” said Dallas Brodie. “The con sequences are everywhere: wages are falling, housing is out of reach, healthcare is col lapsing, and our culture is being eroded. OneBC will fight for British Columbia’s workers and  young people — not for corporate elites or foreign interests.”  Between 2021 and 2023, Canada admitted over 1.2 million newcomers, with millions more  expected under current federal policies. This surge has overwhelmed public services.  “Emergency rooms are packed, wait times stretch past 14 hours, and nearly one million  British Columbians don’t even have a family doctor,” said Tara Armstrong, OneBC House  Leader.  OneBC outlined a clear three-point plan:  Suspend Immigration...

In a sit-down interview with Rebel News, Vancouver - Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie opened up about her journey from serving as an independent after leaving the BC Conservative Party, to co-founding what she calls the only real conservative option left in the province — the newly launched One BC ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong are steering the newly launched OneBC party. But who’s down in the engine room?  The new right-wing alternative has launched with a remarkably inexperienced staff, despite the extra taxpayer money that comes with its new official party status. And with a hiring focus on political purity that’s quickly going to become a weakness ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

  Dallas Brodie, MLA for Vancouver - Quilchena Two MLAs who left the Conservative Party of BC to sit as Independents have formed their own political party that promises to stop teachers from striking, end the “reconciliation industry” and introduce private health care. The new party, OneBC, also promises to boost birth and marriage rates and “end mass immigration.” “OneBC is for British Columbians who are proud of their history and aren’t afraid to fight for a prosperous and beautiful future,” Dallas Brodie, MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, says ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The interim leader of BC's newest political party says it will raise issues other parties won't dare to touch. Dallas Brodie said these included the effects of the "reconciliation industry," electoral reform, and ending mass immigration, and she will "let the chips fall where they may" when it's time to run for re-election. The new One BC party went public on Thursday, with Brodie announcing herself as interim leader and Tara Armstrong house leader as they unveiled plans to combat what Brodie called "the globalist assault" on BC's history, culture and families  ... CLICK HERE   for the full story

Yesterday came news that most (many) conservative leaning BC voters have come to dread, time and time again – the formation of another splinter party – and it’s nothing new.  This has happened repeatedly in the many years I have been involved in BC politics, going back far more years than I care to remember. Just for interest’s sake, this morning, I looked to see how many political party names have been registered, with Elections BC, in just the past ten years.  Care to take a guess?  A dozen?  Two dozen?  No it is actual 36 – THREE dozen. And how many are ‘currently’ registered as political parties in BC?  It’s a baker’s dozen – just 13. The latest iteration goes by the name of One BC, and has two former Conservative Party of BC MLA’s as its members.  They are Dallas Brodie, who many will recall was kicked out of the party for her taunting words and tone regarding residential school survivors, and Tara Armstrong who left in support of her. At this poi...

Two of BC's three Independent MLAs have formed a political party that wants to lower taxes, take away teachers' right to strike, and crack down on so-called mass immigration. The party, called One BC, also wants an end to what it calls BC's "reconciliation industry," and to see the province allow for private healthcare. Dallas Brodie, MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, is the interim leader, while Tara Armstrong, who represents Kelowna–Lake Country–Coldstream, is the party's house leader CLICK HERE for the full story

L ast month, I rose in the Legislature to ask the government a simple question: “What is a woman?” In response, Attorney General Niki Sharma said, “We are going to make sure that our laws and all of our policies respect and stand up for the rights of all people.” But I wonder: does “all people” include women? How can one claim to stand for women’s rights if they refuse to define what a woman is? Whether or not Sharma agrees with the biological reality that a woman is an adult human female, the question cannot be ignored. The purpose of women-designated spaces—bathrooms, change rooms, shelters, sports categories, prison units—is to keep women safe. Should the rights we have fought for, as women, to our own spaces be relinquished simply because some men now declare themselves to be women? Some Transgender advocates obscure or downplay the biological differences between males and females in a manner that can reinforce outdated stereotypes that women have fought for decades t...

T he snpink’tn (Penticton) Indian Band issued a statement on Tuesday strongly condemning the joint declaration made by a group of MLAs. They said Tara Armstrong, Jordan Kealy, and Dallas Brodie have "falsely portrayed Indigenous sovereignty as a threat to British Columbia’s prosperity." "The statement by the MLAs dangerously groups Indigenous self-determination with unrelated political issues such as 'CCP influence,' 'equalization disparities,' and 'uncontrolled immigration,' perpetuating racist narratives and systemic discrimination against Indigenous Peoples," the PIB said ... CLICK HERE for the full story

... “Our party is actually very strong from my perspective,” Rustad said Monday. “It is still growing. And yes, we’ve had a few growing pains, but that’s not to be unexpected.” It was Brodie’s choice to leave caucus and the caucus leadership decided she’s not welcome to return, Rustad said. “I would much rather be all 44 of us still in caucus pushing in the right direction,” he said. “Three people felt they could no longer be part of that. It’s unfortunate, but we’re moving on and we’re staying focused on the things we need to fight.” Asked about the accusation of the Conservatives turning into “woke liberals,” Rustad chuckled ... CLICK HERE for the full story

... “If everybody was singing kumbaya, and all the same, you’re not a true party. You need to see the differences. You need to look at that as a strength.” By that weird measure, BC Conservatives have never looked “stronger” than they did this week. They’re so strong, they look ready to explode. Six days after his soothing words, he dropped the pretense Friday and kicked one of his biggest troublemakers out of the caucus ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Regrettably, in recent days, issues within the Conservative Party of BC have come to the surface resulting in one member being removed from Caucus (Dallas Brodie) and the party, and two others (Tara Armstrong and Jordan Kealy) leaving of their own accord. As of this morning (Saturday March 8th) all three are now sitting as independents in the BC legislature. So, what does that mean? In the last twenty-four hours social media feeds have lit up with support for leader John Rustad, while others have been negative, accusing the party, and Rustad, of being bullies and not standing up for conservative values. Ryan Painter, who has personally worked with John Rustad, had this to say: Since the beginning, he's had one target: the BC NDP. He knows that British Columbians deserve a government that works for them, delivers on their promises, and doesn't tax them into poverty. He believes in his team and the power of a focused opposition. He knows who the enemy is. He knows BC deserves ...