Vaughn Palmer: Can't fix B.C. without a culture war, says Conservative leadership runner-up

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal NewsPoliticsOpinionColumnists Vaughn Palmer: Can't fix B.C. without a culture war, says Conservative leadership runner-up Opinion: 'We can’t keep talking about free enterprise and ‘nothing else’ while ignoring the left’s steady, patient work to shape our schools, our public service, our courts, and our society,' says Caroline Elliott Author of the article: By Vaughn Palmer Published Sep 15, 2026 Last updated 54 minutes ago 4 minute read Join the conversation Caroline Elliott, the runner-up for the leadership of the B.C. Conservative Party. PHOTO BY STUART MCNISH /Special to the Sun Article content VICTORIA — Caroline Elliott, who finished a close second in the B.C. Conservative leadership, is challenging calls for the party to play down the culture war and focus exclusively on economic issues to defeat the NDP. Article content “We can no longer pretend that the great questions facing this province can be settled entirely in dollars and cents, and that the right combination of tax cuts and deregulation is a sufficient answer to what ails our province,” says Elliott. Article content Article content Article content “We can’t keep talking about free enterprise and ‘nothing else’ while ignoring the left’s steady, patient work to shape our schools, our public service, our courts, and our society.” Article content Sunrise Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content The quotes are from “Free enterprise and nothing else will not fix B.C.,” an opinion piece Elliott wrote earlier this month for Without Diminishment, an online site she co-founded. Article content The policy advocate took aim at the call for an alternative centre-right party that emerged from “the Triple O summit,” a recent gathering of business and political leaders at a White Spot in downtown Vancouver. Article content The group wanted a party platform confined to four issues: “Grow the economy. Control government spending. Develop our resources. Deal with affordability. … That’s it, ” according to reports from the meeting. Article content “While there’s no question those are critically important, they’re not even close to enough,” wrote Elliott. “The sorry state of our economy,…