BC Conservative Party say leader John Cummins has stepped down as leader of the BC Conservative Party.
Cummins, 71, was named the leader of the party in May 2011. The BC Conservatives were at one time considered a threat to the BC Liberals, but in May’s election the party did not win any seats.
The BC Conservative Party released a statement on Thursday night saying “in two years under his leadership, Cummins led the Party from a fledgling organization with fewer than a thousand members, to a membership base of close to 5-thousand people with a grassroots structure facilitating member-driven policy development and involvement. Mr. Cummins also led the Party to a position where they were briefly tied with the BC Liberals in voter support. Internal dissent last fall led to a drop in support, and the Party was unable to recover in time for the recent general election.”
Cummins said “We gave BC voters a true alternative in the recent election. And when you look at the increase in voter turnout, the fact is that we brought thousands of British Columbians back into the political process; people who had quit voting altogether were re-engaged in democracy. While the ultimate result of the election was not what we were looking for, I’m proud to have been able to lead a team of credible candidates who re-engaged voters in a way that allowed them to express themselves and cast a ballot for a common-sense alternative. Thousands of British Columbians – even those who decided not to give us their vote – recognized that our platform was based on true, measurable fiscal conservatism instead of Christy Clark’s smoke and mirror claims of balanced budgets.”
In his letter of resignation, Cummins thanked the current and past Board “for their outstanding support during (his) my term as leader”, adding ” I would be remiss if I did not also send a heartfelt thanks to the membership of the Party for their encouragement through all that has transpired. ”
Party President Dan Denis says Mr. Cummins leaves with the full support of the Board. “John will be sorely missed. His experience, dedication, and commitment to the Party have been unrivaled. Last fall in particular, he showed his true character by taking a firm stand in support of the will of the majority of Party members against who sought, through bullying, intimidation, and grandstanding tactics to discredit his leadership. I know those times were personally difficult for John, but he showed immense strength of character in getting our Party through the storm. Our Board is deeply appreciative of all the hard work that John did, and wish him well in his pending retirement.”
Cummins’ resignation is effective immediately. The Board will meet next week to finalize the plans and timing for the leadership race and convention.
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