Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day rejoins B.C. Conservatives as snap election approaches

Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day has rejoined the Conservative Party of British Columbia as he begins his re-election campaign, hours after B.C. NDP Leader David Eby called a snap election on Sept. 22.

In a Facebook post, Day said he had left because he believed the party had lost its way, but that its leadership and direction had changed in recent weeks. He said moderation had prevailed over division and attention should shift to larger challenges facing British Columbia.

Day resigned from the party on Aug. 26 and said he would sit as an independent conservative. He was the fifth caucus member to leave in less than two weeks over Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s leadership. He told Black Press he had lost confidence in the former leader’s judgment, conduct and ethical standards, and also criticized the actions of people associated with Findlay.

Before Findlay resigned as leader on Sept. 20, 10 Conservative MLAs had left the party and three more, including former leader John Rustad, had been removed from caucus. Most announced plans to form CentreBC. After the Sept. 22 election call, seven of the eight MLAs who said they would join CentreBC returned to the Conservatives, leaving Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko as CentreBC’s only sitting MLA and its leader.

Day said health care and seniors’ issues will remain central to his campaign, including long-term care wait-lists, emergency-room closures, health-care staffing shortages and access to primary care. He also plans to focus on affordability, rebuilding British Columbia’s resource industries, strengthening the provincial economy and responding to economic threats from south of the border. The election is scheduled for Oct. 24.