Party of Five: Group of B.C. Conservative defectors form new (old?) centre-right party
Five B.C. Conservative defectors led by Peter Milobar form new political party that might look a lot like BC Liberals/BC United
September 4, 2026
The BC Liberals are back. That is, BC United is back. Or is it something new entirely?
Five (so far) of the recent defectors from the BC Conservative caucus announced Friday (September 4, 2026) they formed a new centre-right party shifting B.C.'s right back towards the centre.
Chilliwack-Cultus MLA A'alíya Warbus is among the five that also include, MLAs Peter Milobar, Ian Paton, Rosalyn Bird and Bruce Banman.
Milobar and Paton were among the first of the recent stream of B.C. Conservatives to abandon the party after the leadership race ended with the far-right Kerry-Lynne Findlay as leader. In media interviews immediately after Paton left, there was talk of a new party rather than them sitting as independents long-term.
The definitely were not going to join either CentreBC, the spinoff from BC United (formerly BC Liberals) or OneBC, the first spinoffs from the B.C. Conservatives.
Following? As pollster Mario Canseco alluded to in a Twitter/X post on Friday sharing a graph of voting intentions, "we're running out of colours already!"
We're running out of colours already! #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/pVjaIDEDSu
— Mario Canseco (@mario_canseco) September 4, 2026
The new party will hold an internal leadership vote before the legislature returns on October 5, according to the statement issued. Milobar will serve as interim leader until caucus elects a permanent leader.
The following are some statements from the MLAs from Friday's news release.
Á'a:liya Warbus: "I'm proud to join a team with a long-term vision for this province and a real commitment to the issues that matter. We have, at most, two years to be election-ready to defeat the, NDP, and joining Peter and lan is a commitment to making sure voters have a strong alternative when that election comes. There's no time to waste – Peter and lan have been moving forward at full-steam ahead and I'm ready to get to work alongside them."
Rosalyn Bird: "We're building on the momentum Peter and lan have created over the last week and a half toward giving , voters a stable, thoughtful alternative to the NDP. This party will be focused on the issues the NDP has neglected for far too long: the economy, healthcare, affordability, taxation and land rights. These are issues that shape the everyday lives of British Columbians."
Bruce Banman: "British Columbians deserve a government that respects a dollar earned and doesn't punish people for i working hard. I've spent my time in the Legislature fighting for commonsense policy and for the people who feel like Victoria stopped listening to them a long time ago. Joining Peter, Ian, Rosalyn and Á'a:líya means we can do that work together as a team. British Columbians want options, and we intend to give them a strong one."
Peter Milobar: "We're working hard, every day, to build the party British Columbia needs right now. The support we've seen from across the province has been overwhelming, and people are stepping up to help us bring this party to life in a very short time. The appetite for it is undeniable. This will be a party for hard-working British Columbians: one that restores fiscal sanity to this province and positions British Columbia as a national leader in resource development and job creation."
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Paul J. Henderson
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