Defections and internal squabbles are just 鈥渟peed bumps鈥 on the BC Conservatives path to a future election victory, Kelowna Mission MLA Gavin Dew says.听
And if there鈥檚 one party that should be worried about dissension in the ranks, it鈥檚 the NDP under Premier David Eby, Dew said Tuesday.听
鈥淒avid Eby is at war with the base of his own party. His efforts to centralize power over projects has put him offside with environmentalists and First Nations groups, he can鈥檛 decide where he stands on pipeline projects that divide his caucus, and his ferry procurement sellout angered organized labour and led him to being condemned by the executive of his own party,鈥 Dew said.听
鈥淭he NDP government is divided, distracted, and increasingly disillusioned,鈥 Dew said. 鈥淭he premier may still have the title, but it鈥檚 clear he is losing his mandate from within his own ranks. That鈥檚 a serious risk for the NDP and for the stability of governing British Columbia at a crucial time.鈥
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad has seen three of his MLAs leave the party since last fall's election with two of them - Kelowna Lake Country MLA Tara Armstrong and Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie - starting their own right-wing party.听
Rustad will be subject to a scheduled leadership review this summer. He will lose the job if he doesn鈥檛 win the confidence of at least 50 per cent of Conservative party members.听
Dew once ran for the leadership of the BC United party, losing to Kevin Falcon. But he said the BC Conservative caucus is 鈥渦nited鈥 under Rustad鈥檚 leadership, and 鈥渇ocused on the future.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檝e hit our own speed bumps,鈥 Dew said. 鈥淏ut we are doing the work to become a government in waiting.鈥
On the poll aggregator website听, the BC NDP has a narrow lead over the BC Conservatives in popular support, 45 per cent to 43 per cent, with the BC Greens at eight per cent.听