{"id":727216,"date":"2026-06-10T09:53:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/727216\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T09:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:53:11","slug":"almost-half-of-b-c-residents-want-a-third-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/727216\/","title":{"rendered":"Almost half of B.C. residents want a third party"},"content":{"rendered":"

B.C. politics has a new protagonist since Kerry-Lynne Findlay emerged as the new leader of the B.C. Conservative Party in last week\u2019s leadership race.<\/p>\n

And if almost half of British Columbians get their wish, she and NDP leader David Eby might be joined by a third major player in provincial politics soon.<\/p>\n

According to pollster Research Co., 47 per cent of the B.C. electorate think the time has come for a \u201ccentre-right party\u201d to emerge, serving as an alternative to the NDP and Conservatives.<\/p>\n

One idea to make this happen is bringing back the BC Liberal brand after that party vanished from the province\u2019s political landscape during the 2024 election.<\/p>\n

A possibility Mario Conseco, president of Research Co., says is not far-fetched.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is an opportunity for a movement, but it has to capitalize on a couple of things. First, you need somebody to lead it, somebody who\u2019s going to talk about the need for this party,\u201d he told 1130 NewsRadio.<\/p>\n

According to the poll, a hypothetical BC Liberal party would have the support of 15 per cent of B.C. voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than one-in-four British Columbians who voted for the federal Liberals in 2025 would cast a ballot for the BC Liberals in a provincial election,\u201d the study said.<\/p>\n

Conseco adds the odds of getting a third party come down to Findlay\u2019s leadership style and how well the BC Conservatives are going to perform in the next couple of months.<\/p>\n

Currently, 32 per cent of B.C. voters have a positive image of the new leader.<\/p>\n

However, this can change as Conseco explains the leadership race between the six different candidates did not touch a lot of aspects voters are really concerned about in B.C., including housing, affordability, and health care.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they really go heavily on the culture wars, you are not going to entice a lot of people who are right now undecided to say that they like what the Conservatives are doing,\u201d the pollster said.<\/p>\n

Conseco draws potential comparisons to Kevin Falcon and BC United<\/p>\n

If that happens, Conseco says, Findlay might \u201cstumble\u201d similarly to how BC United leader Kevin Falcon stumbled prior to the 2024 provincial election.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second important component here is a stumble from the Conservatives. The reasons that led to BC United\u2019s demise, along with the rebrand and the rise of the Conservatives, had a lot to do with Kevin Falcon\u2019s leadership style,\u201d Conseco explained.<\/p>\n

He adds those things can happen quickly, referring to how fast the Conservatives gained traction with only polling around 2 per cent before the 2024 provincial election but ending up within a couple of seats of forming the government on election day.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I think it\u2019s a similar scenario now. It\u2019s a very delicate balance they [BC Conservatives] will have to measure in the next three or four months.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet, the pollster adds there is still opportunity for the party to connect with voters on \u201cbread and butter issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cParticularly for the third of British Columbians who don\u2019t know who Kerry-Lynne Findlay is.\u201d<\/p>\n

And according to the recent poll, the Conservatives are not on a bad track as they are now tied with the NDP among the electorate.<\/p>\n

42 per cent of voters would support the NDP, and 42 per cent would support the Conservatives \u2013 that\u2019s a two-point loss for the governing party and four points up for the opposition compared to December last year.<\/p>\n

The BC Green Party is third with 9 per cent, followed by Centre BC with 3 per cent, and 2 per cent for OneBC.<\/p>\n

The support for the NDP is particularly strong among women and voters aged 55 and over, while the Conservatives are receiving a lot of support from men and voters aged 35-to-54.<\/p>\n

Southern B.C., Metro Vancouver, and Vancouver Island remain strongholds for the governing party, and Conservative supporters tend to live in Northern B.C. and the Fraser Valley.<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Vancouver as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

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