Vaughn Palmer: B.C.'s left-wing premier's snap election call unites the right

VICTORIA — Premier David Eby’s bid for another term in government was predicated on the twin assumptions that he could run hard against Donald Trump and a chaotic B.C. opposition.

But half of that strategy went sideways Tuesday with the news that the B.C. Conservatives were reuniting, a development that seemed unthinkable a few days ago.

Eby and his overconfident team of advisers grounded their pitch in large measure on attacking Kerry-Lynne Findlay, only to see her resign as B.C. Conservative leader two days before the planned election call.

Then came the news that Findlay’s successor, Lorne Doerkson, was inviting former leaders John Rustad and Trevor Halford and MLA Clare Rattée to rejoin the Conservative caucus. They did so Monday along with Scott McInnis and Linda Hepner, two other MLAs who’d left.

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Still, the New Democrats thought they could run against several parties — B.C. Conservatives, CentreBC, what have you — each claiming to be the one-true vehicle for voters on the centre right.

That option lapsed when MLA Peter Milobar returned to the B.C. Conservatives after a brief turn as leader of CentreBC. He was joined by six other returnees, including some of the strongest MLAs on the Opposition side.

Only one of the original group of eight who had gathered around Milobar, Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko, chose to remain with what was left of CentreBC. She may have enough admirers among the Conservatives that the party would choose to spot her the seat by not running a candidate against her.

Another loose end was tidied up with the news that Findlay — whose byelection campaign was voided by the general election call — had chosen not to run for the Conservatives in the provincial campaign.

At the same time her husband, Brent Chapman, quit the Conservatives in favour of OneBC, the fringe party headed by Dallas Brodie. Good riddance was the widely held view among more mainstream Conservatives.