One week after turfing an Okanagan candidate for this fall’s provincial election, the Conservative Party of BC revealed its replacement.
On Thursday, the party announced Gavin Dew as its new candidate for the riding of Kelowna-Mission. Two years ago, he was among seven people seeking to lead the BC Liberals, now BC United.
The news comes one week after the BC Conservatives announced they were removing Alexandra Wright as their riding candidate.
Recently, Wright reposted a tweet that said provincial health officer Bonnie Henry and health minister Adrian Dix should be criminally investigated — a comment referencing the COVID-19 pandemic.
On social media, the party said the decision to remove Wright “was made after careful consideration of various factors related to campaign performance and conduct.”
It also said, “The Conservative Party remains committed to upholding the highest standards of performance and conduct for all its candidates to ensure effective representation and success in the upcoming elections.”
Wright fired back, saying it was a political decision to remove her.
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In announcing Dew, the party has now pilfered a half-dozen former BC Liberals.
Dew, said to be a small business owner along with his wife in Kelowna, finished fifth in the 2022 BC Liberal leadership convention.
“Our economy is stalling out, with employment decreasing three months in a row and virtually no net increase in private sector jobs since 2019,” party leader John Rustad said in a statement.
“Gavin has experienced firsthand the crisis of indecision that stalls progress, blocks economic growth, and costs taxpayers money and missed opportunity.
“We need to unlock B.C.’s potential and our ability to get things done again, so we can make things better for people and families.”
In that same statement, Dew said, “Everyone is tired of the drama. We need to put B.C. first, not egos or old party allegiances.
“We can’t wait four more years to get serious, end the chaos, and get B.C. back on track. It’s time for common sense voters to stop sifting through the ashes of our old home, put up scaffolding around the new one, and focus on forming a new government.”
In July 2021, Dew posted a comment on social media saying, “Climate change is real. It’s increasing the risk of drought and wildfires.”
In November 2023, Rustad said the changing climate is real, but stated “However, British Columbians are not facing an existential threat from our changing climate. It isn’t a crisis. In fact, our changing climate is not the most pressing issue facing us in B.C. or around the world.”
That statement is available online.
Global News has reached out to the Conservative Party of BC regarding Wright and Dew.
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