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Vaughn Palmer: Conspicuous no-shows for B.C. Conservative leadership debate

Opinion: The first debate in the leadership race won't include two high-profile candidates, with Caroline Elliott's absence generating much of the fallout

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VICTORIA — After four months of mostly behind the scenes manoeuvring, the B.C. Conservatives this week enter the public phase of their leadership campaign with the first debate among candidates for the top job.

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But the Wednesday evening event has also generated major controversy because two high-profile candidates, former B.C. United vice-president Caroline Elliott, and Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar, won’t be attending.

Vaughn Palmer: Conspicuous no-shows for B.C. Conservative leadership debate Back to video

Elliott’s no-show has generated much of the fallout since the announcement last week from Juno News, the conservative-leaning organization that is staging the debate.

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“Caroline Elliott initially committed to attend the only B.C. Conservative leadership debate taking place before the April 18 membership cutoff,” wrote Juno co-founder Keean Bexte last Thursday.

“After agreeing to the date, format, and venue, Elliott’s campaign bought out nearly every ticket to the venue. We weren’t going to let one campaign control the audience, so we moved the debate to a larger venue. At that point, Elliott backed out,” Bexte wrote.

The news brought a blast from Aaron Gunn, the federal North Island-Powell River Conservative MP and scheduled co-moderator of Wednesday’s event.

“Real conservatives, especially those running to be leader, should never be afraid to defend their beliefs, their principles and their policies,” wrote Gunn on X. “In fact, they should relish every opportunity they’re given to do so. Fake conservatives, on the other hand, have every incentive to hide.”

Elliott responded with a social media posting of her own.

“I’m excited to take part in any and all debates sanctioned by the Conservative Party of B.C., including the two that are currently scheduled for the end of April,” she wrote, very much on the defensive.

“⁠The Juno debate is unsanctioned. Its timing before the (April 18) membership cutoff date is taking time away from growing the party through membership sign-ups. And it involves candidate(s) who may not even be on the final ballot.”

There’s a lot of chatter about debate participation. A few things: 1. I’m excited to take part in any & all debates sanctioned by the Conservative Party of BC including the two that are currently scheduled for the end of April. 2. ⁠The Juno debate is unsanctioned. Its timing…— Caroline Elliott (@NVanCaroline) April 3, 2026

There’s a lot of chatter about debate participation. A few things: 1. I’m excited to take part in any & all debates sanctioned by the Conservative Party of BC including the two that are currently scheduled for the end of April. 2. ⁠The Juno debate is unsanctioned. Its timing…

She insisted her agreement to attend was based on misleading information that “all” other candidates would participate. Only later did she learn that Milobar was attending a previously scheduled event in Nanaimo.

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“We encouraged Juno to move the debate until after the membership cutoff,” she continued. “When they wouldn’t reschedule, we declined to participate — but reiterated that I am (and remain!) happy to participate at a later date.”

Instead, Elliott is proceeding with a rally of her own in Kelowna on Wednesday. But as one respondent on social media put it, “If you are explaining, you are losing.”

Elliott claims to have raised $1 million already. She has collected endorsements from two candidates who dropped out, Conservative Langley-Abbotsford MLA Harman Bhangu and former Jim Pattison executive Darrell Jones.

She is also unproven in the political arena, having not previously run for office. Consequently, her no-show is more questionable than that of Milobar, the former Kamloops mayor who has three times been elected to a seat in the legislature.

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Milobar generated some controversy of his own last week, starting with his call for the Conservatives to delay the leadership contest over alleged irregularities in the membership data base.

The complaint was rebuffed. “The Conservative party is confident in the integrity of the race,” said the party in a statement to Rob Shaw of Business In Vancouver. “We will continue our process as planned.”

Milobar then generated an irregularity of his own when he missed by one day the April 1 deadline for the latest, $40,000 installment in the leadership entry fee.

The party fined the Milobar campaign $7,500 for the late filing, along with a stern reminder that “non-compliance of the rules will be taken seriously.”

Milobar tried to make the best of the lapse. “One of our volunteers mailed a cheque days ahead of the deadline in good faith, trusting it would arrive on time,” he wrote on his X account.

“Unfortunately, it was delivered one day late. While we accept full responsibility for the delay, we remain proud of the hardworking volunteers who make this campaign possible.”

His campaign trusted Canada Post to deliver a $40,000 cheque? Not sure I would trust it to deliver a supermarket flyer. But I suppose he should be grateful that the delivery wasn’t also dependent on B.C. Ferries.

Making political hay from all this was Iain Black, the former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister and another prominent candidate in the field.

“This is the first opportunity for most B.C. Conservative members across the province to see all of us together on the same stage, to compare our ideas, our values, and our character side by side,” Black declared by news release. “Declining this debate is not a scheduling issue. It is a choice. It sends a message about their confidence in their ability to withstand scrutiny.”

Also expected to attend are candidates Yuri Fulmer, who is chancellor of Capilano University, former South Surrey MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, and Rossland contractor Warren Hamm.

The 90-minute debate will be streamed live on the Juno news website starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Watching these recriminations from the sidelines is the B.C. NDP. A recent opinion poll found 57 per cent of respondents think the province is on the wrong track. The New Democrats need a break and hope the Conservatives will provide it.

vpalmer@postmedia.com

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