Political commentator Caroline Elliott has long been a vocal critic of the BC NDP, calling the government out for injecting "ideology and activism" into every aspect of British Columbians' lives.Now, after years of going after the ruling party from the sidelines, she hopes to take on Premier David Eby directly by becoming the next leader of the BC Conservatives..BC Conservatives release rules of leadership race, will announce new leader on May 30."People underestimate the scale and scope of the change that's actually needed to get things back on track," Elliott told the Western Standard. You can pick the issue that matters to you — whether it's public safety, or the economic devastation that's happening under this government, our education system, the fact that we don't even know if our private property rights are intact — none of it's working."She placed the blame squarely at the feet of the NDP, arguing that what we're seeing is "the result of being governed for nearly a decade by a radical government that's based their entire approach on ideology and activism rather than what British Columbians actually want.""Any true fix to this mess requires way more than just tinkering around the edges of taxes and deregulation and so on," Elliott explained. "It requires that for sure, but it also requires courage to get to the very root of the NDP's extreme ideology that's been pushed into every single aspect of government."A number of other leadership candidates, such as MLA Sheldon Clare and businessman Yuri Fulmer, have touted their "true conservative" bone fides, arguing that the party must stay true to its core values.Elliott echoed these sentiments, but made it clear she believes she can "stay completely consistent with and committed to our conservative principles, and still broaden our appeal across all British Columbians.".'IT DIDN'T WORK': Eby says BC 'not going back' to drug decriminalization after pilot ends."What people miss is the fact that conservative principles are normal people principles," she argued. "Most British Columbians don't go around saying, 'oh, I'm Conservative, or I'm Liberal, or I'm NDP.' Most people don't even actually think in those political terms, but they do understand, fundamentally, that schools are for educating kids with the goal of setting them up for success and whatever path they choose in life ... that violent repeat offenders do not belong in our neighbourhoods — I could go on on every single policy issue."Elliott suggested that at the end of the day, "the ideology of the NDP is far removed from the mindset and the perspectives of normal British Columbians.""The recipe for success is not compromising on our principles," she added, "but showing people that our principles are normal principles.".Among the issues that Elliott has been most outspoken about is indigenous relations."The radical reconciliation approach taken by this government has undermined our basic democratic principles," she told the Western Standard. "It's standing in the way of our prosperity, it is completely counter to the broader public interests, and probably worst of all, it is absolutely compromising our ability to see each other as fellow British Columbians, people with common citizenship who can coexist together in very productive ways."Since jumping into the race, Elliott has been warned by BC NDP MLAs, including Spencer Chandra Herbert, to avoid crossing into "residential school denial." Such terms have been frequently used to discredit any criticism of the government's reconciliation policies.When asked whether she will water down her message to avoid sparking controversy, Elliott made it clear nobody would tell her what she can or can't talk about."Will I keep standing up on this issue? Absolutely," she said. "It's one of the reasons I'm doing this, because I see that issue as one of the most existential issues facing this province."She acknowledged people's "frustration," but emphasized that "we should not be directing that frustration at indigenous people.".BC residents file class action lawsuit claiming province, feds misled property owners during Cowichan title case."Indigenous governments are doing what they're elected or selected to do, which is look out for the interests of their communities," she said. "We elect our provincial government to look out for the provincial interest, but the NDP under David Eby has completely lost sight of us."Elliott noted that, if elected, she would push for policies that make relations between Victoria and First Nations more transparent, and ensure that any decision made by the government first and foremost benefits all British Columbians.Many conservatives have called out the BC NDP for effectively giving First Nations veto power over any decision that impacts their territory. Elliott said, legally, it was never supposed to be that way."Our constitutional requirement in this country is, yes, if a project affects the First Nation, we have to meaningfully consult, we have to accommodate where appropriate," she explained. "At the end of the day, though, the government needs to be able to proceed with approvals for that project, if it's in the public interest, and that's actually part of our constitution.Elliott went on to note that "when the NDP came in with DRIPA, what they did was they kind of threw that whole thing to the wind and started saying, 'oh, well, we need the free, prior, informed consent of First Nations'.".'NEVER GONNA HAPPEN': Eby, First Nations tell Smith to give up on dream of pipeline to BC."They have developed a lot of these public land use agreements — which I fought very hard against — enshrining consent provisions, saying these projects will not be approved unless there's a consent of a First Nation," she continued. "That actually runs against our constitution, against the basic principles of democracy that require that the people making decisions on these things to represent the broader public who vote for them.""You cannot have consent provisions that provide an effective veto power," Elliott declared. "You simply can't."Since the 2024 election, five MLAs were either booted from the BC Conservative caucus or left of their own volition. When asked whether she would invite them back, Elliott said that was a decision that needs to be made not just by the leader, but by all of caucus..On the broader issue of caucus unity, Elliott argued that contrary to media reports, members were in alignment."The political drama always makes the headlines, but I think what sometimes we lose sight of is the fact that caucus is made up of a very passionate group of MLAs who largely are in it for the right reasons," she said. "They're very passionate about the issues that matter to them that got them motivated to get involved in politics in the first place. They're very passionate about authentically representing their communities in Victoria. We're going to disagree sometimes. That's inevitable and that's okay."Among those who got kicked out of caucus by former leader John Rustad was Dallas Brodie, who went on to start OneBC. Given BC's electoral system, some have expressed concern that OneBC could split the centre-right vote, with those worried the BC Conservatives are moving too far left giving the new party a shot."I have a long history of standing up for free speech," Elliott said when asked how she will appeal to such voters. "I believe very strongly that we need to be on a completely different track on reconciliation, and I've not been shy about saying that, so I think my record on those things will be for current OneBC members to judge. It's there for them to look at it and they'll make their decision accordingly.".OneBC MLAs say no chance they'll rejoin BC Conservatives.Many in the OneBC camp have argued that the BC Conservatives have not done enough to drop the BC Liberal baggage. Elliott, who had been involved with that party for nearly two decades before it became BC United and eventually folded, assuaged such concerns."Anybody who has spent 20 years getting political experience in this province on the right has a history with the BC Liberals," she said. "It's just a fact, and I'm not shy about pointing out the fact that I bring a lot of political experience to the table in this race."Elliott reiterated that she has "never been shy about standing up for conservative principles.""Read and look at everything I've written and everything I've said," she noted. "I stand by it, and I know what I stand for. People know what I stand for, and that's never going to change."Elliott has pulled together a leadership team that includes some big names from across the country, including Kory Teneycke, who served as Ontario Premier Doug Ford's campaign manager and former prime minister Stephen Harper's director of communications.Some have called her out for having so many people from out east running a campaign for a BC race."We've had some problems actually winning," she said of Conservative parties in Canada. "So we have to get to the mindset where we actually start winning elections. My team has a history of winning elections. I'm attracting talent nationally because people see a lot of potential in my campaign and what I represent. They also know that for Canada to succeed, BC needs to succeed. I'm actually proud of that."Elliott pointed out that she has "really, really strong BC talent, too," and that she, herself, is a "BC born-and-raised lifelong British Columbian."
