VANCOUVER — Two-and-a-half years after ditching BC United to become the BC Conservatives' second MLA, Bruce Banman is now seeking to lead the party he helped take from obscurity to official opposition.While there are many issues facing British Columbians, he argued that focusing on the economy will be the BC Conservatives' best shot at growing its voter base and winning the next election."I welcome people to come and join this movement of common sense and fiscal conservatism and get the economy of this province moving again," Banman told the Western Standard. "To me, that's what is the most important. Are there conservative social issues? Absolutely there are. But right now, I think that number one priority is turning the economy around." He pointed out that "if you don't have a robust economy, you don't have the tax base ... and society quickly ends up in chaos because you run out of money to pay for the things you desperately need and or want."As for how to jumpstart BC's economy, Banman highlighted the myriad natural resources the province has to offer."We're blessed with 17 minerals that we need for modern life," he explained. "We've got 24 mines that want to open up in this province that would add $70 billion worth of economic opportunity, and, I'm told, $10 billion worth of royalties in to the provincial budget."While BC has made improvements in the liquefied natural gas sector, Banman said there is much more work to do."We've got trillions of dollars of natural gas that we are selling to the United States at an 80% discount," he noted. "If we can figure out how to export that — they're exporting our gas, by the way, to other foreign countries — we should be doing that, and that would add another $4 to $6 billion in royalties to our provincial budget."Banman also drew attention to BC's globally-important forestry industry, arguing it has been "decimated" by the BC NDP.."Tariffs do not help, but if you talk to forestry executives, or people who work in the forest, they will tell you it's because they cannot get their hands on the wood," he lamented. "They cannot get their ability to actually get into the woods to cut what they need, to be able to provide the lumber mills with what they need.Banman claimed the BC NDP has been "too busy fiddling around with red tape instead of cutting it.""British Columbia is one of the wealthiest places on the face of the earth," he declared. "There is no reason we should be in the economic slump that we are."Though the economy will be his "push right out of the gate," Banman made it clear social issues are also "important" to him."I've been very vocal about things like SOGI123," he said, noting that his first question in the legislature when he crossed the floor was about sexually inappropriate materials in schools.Many BC Conservative leadership candidates have attacked one another for appearing too soft on such issues, each trying to one-up their competitors by painting themselves as "true conservatives."Some have been targeted for their past involvement with the BC Liberals or the federal Liberals."I want to remind folks that politics is actually about addition," Banman said. "A movement is about gaining momentum and adding people to it, and I honestly don't care who someone voted for last time, I don't care what member of a party they were last time, or even who they donated to in the past. What I care about is that people are up and ready for change, that were the message that we have resonates with them, and they understand what a miserable job the NDP have done."He warned that such "unnecessary conflict" could end up driving people away from the party."If you take a look at the history of this province in the past, be it Social Credit, be it the BC Liberals for a time being, and now the Conservative Party, you have to have a big-tent party, and you have to have the ability to join both federal Liberals and federal Conservatives in order to actually form government," Banman explained. "What we need need is, instead of what I consider to be internal bickering over nuance at times, to get together, unify, get focused, and restore this province to its rightful place to be the most successful province in Canada."."These purity tests and everything else — I get why people are concerned about some of the social issues, and I share those," he added, "but the foundation of any civilization is its economy and its commerce, and that is in dire straits."The only MLA who has served under the BC Conservative banner longer than Banman is John Rustad, who was ousted as leader by both caucus and the board in December. For years now, the former has served as the latter's right hand man, the two inextricably linked in the eyes of many.When asked how he felt his closeness with Rustad would impact his chances of becoming leader, Banman said his record speaks for itself."My job as the second OG and as the whip was to give give him advice," he explained. "Now, I think anyone who's ever had a boss or a manager or a leader knows you can give them advice, but whether they listen to that advice is another matter."Banman said there were "many times" Rustad didn't take his advice, and that in the end, the former leader "paid the ultimate price.""Not that everything I said would have been 100%," he admitted, "but on key issues, John chose to go a different path and lost the faith of his caucus."Banman said he would offer a different style of leadership, citing his experience as a chiropractor and mayor of Abbotsford."You have to get people around you that have better expertise," he noted. "You know, when you're in medicine, if you think you know everything, you're now a danger to your patients. You have to always learn and surround yourself by people that are experts in their field when you so that you can get the best advice you can — and I believe that that fundamental difference between John and I sets me apart."Banman concluded by urging people, regardless of who they support, to join the party and cast their vote."Participate in this beautiful thing called democracy," he said, "and have your say so that you have a more legitimate right to actually complain if you're not happy with that pick later on."
