B.C. Conservatives and CentreBC 'working hard' towards forming coalition: Lorne Doerkson

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal NewsPolitics B.C. Conservatives and CentreBC 'working hard' towards forming coalition: Lorne Doerkson B.C.'s two centre-right parties appear poised to form some type of agreement, in response to the NDP's expected snap election call today. Author of the article: By David Carrigg, Lori Culbert Published Sep 22, 2026 4 minute read Join the conversation B.C. Conservative MLA Lorne Doerkson. PHOTO BY SARAH LOHIN Article content The leaders of B.C.’s two centre-right parties met in a Vancouver hotel until 1 a.m. this morning, discussing a possible coalition in response to an expected snap election call today by the NDP. Article content When asked Tuesday morning about the possibility of some type of merger, B.C. Conservative interim leader Lorne Doerkson said: “I hope the odds are pretty good. We’re working hard at making that happen. We’ve worked well into the night.” Article content Article content Article content His meeting was with CentreBC leader Peter Milobar, whose party includes eight MLAs who fractured away from the Conservatives, mainly due to rifts with former leader Kerry Lynne Findlay. 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 Doerkson would not reveal details of a possible agreement, including whether the two parties would merge under one banner or simply agree to run only one candidate from each party in a riding to avoid a split of the centre-right vote. “Those are all the things that we’re working on now. I certainly have preferences myself, but I know the other team does as well.” Article content He said who would lead a possible coalition, himself or Milobar or someone else, “is not one of the things that’s in the conversation right now.” Article content When asked if he had a timeline for making a public announcement about any type of coalition, Doerkson said it would be “ASAP.” Article content Eby is expected to call a snap election around noon today, sending voters to the polls in October. Article content The decision came after the rupturing of the B.C. Conservative party over the past two years. The party secured 44 seats during the 2024 election but is now down to 29 MLAs. Findlay stepped…