Prominent Vancouver businessman Peter Brown has warned the BC Conservative Party that a lack of centre-right unity is akin to support for the NDP and will jeopardize the province's economy.
In a five-page letter addressed to Al Siebring, the party's policy and platform chairman, Canaccord Capital founder Brown wrote that it's vital for "those on the centre-right remain committed, coherent and robust and that those who contribute to fragmentation of the centre right vote come to realize that they are an unintended political ally of the left. In the world we live in today, fragmentation on the right could be a disastrous scenario for our province and its economic opportunities."
Brown, 70, added that it is "very important to keep the free enterprise forces in B.C. aligned under one political umbrella going into the next election." However, he did not mention the BC Liberals or Premier Christy Clark, who is trailing in opinion polls.
Siebring said Brown's letter lays out "an excellent case for fiscal conservatism; precisely the kind of positions that the B.C. Conservative Party is advocating."
But Siebring added that "the B.C. Conservative Party is not the problem in B.C.'s 'centre-right coalition.' The problem is the Liberals, both in terms of their present policy direction and their lack of credible leadership."
He said that even if his party "were to fold [its] tent tomorrow, it's clear the Liberals would lose the next election in any event."
An Angus Reid public opinion poll published July 10 found the economy to be the leading issue for respondents, the majority of whom see the NDP's Adrian Dix as the best leader.
Wrote Brown, "In B.C. investment decisions are starting to be deferred for fear that the change to a left of centre government would create similar uncertainties in respect to a very similar list of issues that is proving to be so detrimental to the U.S. economy." •
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