Lorne Doerkson spent his birthday on Thursday doing media interviews as the new leader of the Conservative Party of B.C., a role he did not seek out but was suddenly appointed to last week, and that could see him elected premier by Halloween.
uncertain
him → spend → Halloween
The two-term Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA was named interim leader of the beleaguered party last Sunday, after the sudden resignation of Kerry-Lynne Findlay amid a caucus revolt.
asserted
MLA → name → revolt
Conservative MLAs selected Mr. Doerkson to replace her and the party’s board approved.
asserted
board → select → her
Mr. Doerkson, however, was in South Africa for a conference last weekend and learned of the developments during a layover in Amsterdam as he was travelling home.
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he → learn → Amsterdam
“I had a call asking if I would accept the nomination,” Mr. Doerkson, 58, said in an interview between collecting signatures to get on the ballot and delivering items to the Clinton Food Bank.
“I knew the seriousness of the situation, of course, with rumours of a snap election being called, so at that point, I said yes.”
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I → have → point
His unplanned ascension caps a remarkable few weeks for a party battered by defections, controversy and internal warfare.
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ascension → cap → defections
On Friday, the provincial NDP seized on another complication, accusing the Conservatives of failing to make clear to voters that keeping Mr. Doerkson on as leader permanently would require a change to the party’s constitution backed by two-thirds of the same fractious membership that elected Ms. Findlay.
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that → seize → Findlay
A spokesperson for the B.C. Conservatives did not respond to a request for comment.
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spokesperson → respond → comment
Mr. Doerkson, a former newspaper publisher, small-business owner and bareback rodeo rider, has been handed two daunting tasks: to restore order to his party and persuade a skeptical electorate that Conservatives are not only ready to govern, but offer a better alternative to the incumbent NDP.
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Conservatives → hand → NDP
The Conservatives enter the race stronger than their recent turmoil might suggest.
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turmoil → enter → race
An Angus Reid Institute poll released on Thursday, two days after provincial NDP Leader David Eby called an early election for Oct. 24, put the Conservatives at 43 per cent support among decided and leaning voters – eight percentage points ahead of the NDP.
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Eby → release → NDP
The results appear to reflect the frustration with Mr. Eby calling the election two years early, the institute said.
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institute → appear → election
But the same poll captured the challenge confronting the new Conservative Leader: A majority (56 per cent) of respondents believe his party is “not ready to govern B.C.”
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party → capture → B.C.
Mr. Doerkson himself remains an unknown entity to most – a factor that could be either hurtful or helpful, said Hamish Telford, a political scientist and professor at the University of the Fraser Valley.
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Telford → remain → Valley
“He’s a bit of a blank slate, and you can read into him whatever you want,” he said.
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he → ’ → whatever
“And he seems like a decent bloke.”
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he → seem → bloke
Mr. Doerkson’s appointment drew positive comments online, many from constituents who praised him for the daily video updates he provided during this summer’s wildfires.
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he → draw → wildfires
Others pointed to his votes to allow the introduction of bills to repeal B.C.’s Human Rights Code, and restrict gender-affirming care for minors and prevent students from changing pronouns at school.
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Others → point → school
(Mr. Doerkson has said the votes allowed debate and did not signify support.)
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votes → say → support
British Columbia Premier David Eby has called an Oct. 24 election that he is framing as an urgent necessity to respond to the threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump and his trade war, calling it an 'existential moment' for the province.
The Canadian Press
At an introductory press conference earlier this week, he said his No. 1 priority if the Conservatives formed government would be to repeal the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
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Conservatives → call → Act
The legislation passed unanimously in 2019, with the help of three current Conservative candidates who were then MLAs: Peter Milobar, Teresa Wat and Ian Paton.
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who → pass → candidates
He added in an interview that the Conservatives would also prioritize the broader economy, health care and crime.
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Conservatives → add → economy
Mr. Doerkson also pushed back against Mr. Eby’s effort to make U.S. President Donald Trump a central theme of the campaign.
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Trump → push → campaign
The NDP Leader has spoken repeatedly of the existential threat posed by Mr. Trump’s trade war, casting the Conservatives as Maple MAGA and his NDP as the only party able to stand up to him.
“He’s going to have to find some new material,” Mr. Doerkson said.
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Doerkson → speak → material
“I’ll tell you right now: I think Donald Trump is an absolute bully, and the reality is that David Eby and his team have had an opportunity to strengthen this province and have chosen not to.”
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Eby → tell → province
Prof. Telford said the question of how the Conservatives will do extends beyond Mr. Doerkson himself to the ideological divisions and internal power struggles that have consumed the party and its two last leaders.
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that → say → party
Ms. Findlay lasted just 113 days – less than four months – before stepping down after an exodus of MLAs and a bitter revolt over her leadership.
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Findlay → last → leadership
John Rustad, before her, resigned last December after an extended period of strife within the party, and to avoid a further “civil war.”
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Rustad → resign → war
That conflict reflects a broader shift in B.C. conservatism, Prof. Telford said.
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Telford → reflect → conservatism
Modern conservative populists are increasingly motivated by divisive social issues, whereas centre-right coalitions once bridged differences on social issues by focusing on shared fiscal and economic priorities.
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coalitions → motivate → priorities
The snap election and a new leader have, for now, brought those factions back under one roof.
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election → bring → roof
But the fault lines that so bitterly fractured the party remain, Prof. Telford said.
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Telford → fracture → party
“They can probably hold it together for 30 days,” he said.
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he → hold → days
“The question is: Could they hold it together if they form a government?”
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they → hold → government
Mr. Doerkson also acknowledged the need to maintain order.
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Doerkson → acknowledge → order
Asked how he would handle a member who made inflammatory or otherwise unacceptable remarks, he drew a distinction between inadvertent mistakes and deliberate conduct.
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he → ask → mistakes
“I think there has to be, obviously, some control around that for sure,” he said, adding that he would assess such incidents individually.
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he → think → incidents
Mr. Doerkson began making phone calls the moment he arrived back in Canada from his conference.
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he → begin → conference
He contacted MLAs who had left the party, including the 13 who exited as a result of Ms. Findlay’s leadership, and invited them back.
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who → contact → them
“My pitch, really, was that we’ve got to be unified.
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we → get → ?
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
