B.C. Conservatives shift towards pocketbook issues after chaotic Findlay tenure

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal NewsPolitics B.C. Conservatives shift toward pocketbook issues after chaotic Findlay tenure New leader Lorne Doerkson is bringing his party's focus back to affordability and health care ahead of the imminent provincial election Author of the article: By Alec Lazenby Published Sep 23, 2026 Last updated 1 hour ago 5 minute read Join the conversation Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson and Peter Milobar, until Tuesday leader of CentreBC, (right) arrive for a news conference in Vancouver on Tuesday. PHOTO BY ARLEN REDEKOP /PNG Article content B.C. Conservative Interim Leader Lorne Doerkson wasted no time in striking a different tone than his predecessor Kerry-Lynne Findlay following Tuesday’s election call, and some observers are saying it is all part of a plan to return the party to a focus on pocketbook issues. Article content Peter Milobar, who until Tuesday was the leader of CentreBC before rejoining the Conservatives, said he has known Doerkson for a long time and the party’s new tone is completely different from what was offered to the public under Findlay. Article content Article content Article content “You always have to modernize with the times, but if you look at what public sentiment is, if you look at what people want the government to be focused on, it is affordability, it is cost of living, it is housing, it is health care,” said Milobar. 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 “Those are far and away the biggest issues because of the disaster that the NDP over the last nine years have created in all of those areas.” Article content At the same time, Milobar said, there is still room to take action on other issues that members of the base care about, such as repealing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. Article content The act, passed unanimously in 2019, has been a flashpoint for voters concerned about the impact it could have on provincial laws. Last December, the B.C. Court of Appeals shot down the province’s Mineral Tenure Act over a lack of consultation provisions. Article content “You can repeal DRIPA and not be anti-Indigenous,” said Milobar. Article content “It is a…