British Columbia Party
The British Columbia Party is a right-wing political party in the Canadian province of British Columbia, founded in 1998 as a populist party by John Motiuk, a North Vancouver lawyer. The party did not nominate candidates in the 2001 provincial election. It nominated two candidates for the 2005 provincial election: David Andrew Wright, who won 185 votes (0.86% of the total) in Delta North, and Jack Kortmeyer, who won 169 votes (1.39% of the total) in Bulkley Valley-Stikine. It did not nominate candidates in the 2009 provincial election. The party was one of five whose  members merged to form the British Columbia Unity Party, but like all but one of the others, the party later left BC Unity. The party ran three candidates in the 2013 general election: Carra-Lynn Hodgson in North Vancouver-Lonsdale, Trevor Hendry in Skeena, and Jim Laurence in Surrey-White Rock. It did not nominate candidates in the 2017 general election. Leadership. The party was led by former Social Credit leader Eric Buckley. Buckley was ousted by the party's board of directors, and replaced by former Reform Party of BC Leader Wilf Hanni. Hanni was subsequently ousted by the  board and replaced by Grant Mitton. Mitton, a popular former radio talk show host, had run as a candidate for Social Credit in 2001, winning over 17% of the vote in his riding. He left the moribund Socreds to join the British Columbia Party as a "traditional conservative party", hoping to attract support from conservatives, particularly social conservatives dissatisfied with the policies of the ruling British Columbia Liberal Party. Mitton and Hanni left the BC Party, and joined the British Columbia Conservative Party. Party program. Founding philosophy. The philosophy of the British Columbia Party is rooted in traditional conservatism: the  protection and preservation of whatever is beneficial, respect for the individual, economic responsibility, and government which is enabling, not restrictive. Essential components of the philosophy: