Findlay wins Conservative leadership race; Black thanks supporters

After four months of looking over the applicants for the job, the B.C. Conservative Party picked Kerry-Lynne Findlay to serve as their next leader.

In her victory speech, the former South Surrey-White Rock MP emphasized the importance of less government and lower taxes, as well as: “faith, family, and freedom.”

Accusing the BC NDP of “socialist overreach,” Findlay said the provincial government’s radical ideology has “devasted” property rights in the province.

“I’m fighting for nothing less than the future of British Columbia. Our way of life,” she said. “Our homes, our individual rights, our properties, are at stake.”

Findlay said she would make economic decisions that prioritize small businesses as part of a plan to turn B.C. into a powerhouse: “no longer denied by eastern and global elites, predatory foreign nations, and our own constitution.”

Following the race, defeated candidate Iain Black wrote that he was proud of standing for “true blue” conservative values.

“While last night was not the outcome we hoped for, I am tremendously proud of my team, the hundreds of volunteers, the members I met along the way, and the campaign we ran,” Black wrote in a social media post.

Besides a substantial personal income tax cut, Black’s campaign prioritized boosting B.C.’s economy by looking beyond Canada’s borders.

He didn’t mention Findlay in the post but wished the party success.

Following the vote, the B.C. NDP caucus blasted Findlay for what they described as, “her racist attacks on her leadership opponents” in a press release issued Saturday.

“Kerry-Lynne Findlay and her supporters in caucus have more in common with Donald Trump’s Republicans than they do with Canadian Conservatives,” stated New Westminster-Coquitlam MLA Jennifer Whiteside in the release.

Findlay captured 51 percent of the vote, narrowly edging Caroline Elliott.