(Image Credit: Facebook/Conservative Party of BC)

By Cheryl Jahn

Provincial politics

Conservative leadership hopefuls visit Prince George

Jan 22, 2026 | 10:49 AM

PRINCE GEORGE — Two frontrunners in the race for the Conservative Party of B.C. leadership are in Prince George for the Natural Resources Forum. While the final decision on the leadership is still months away, the work to secure the job is well underway.

Iain Black was first elected to the BC Legislature in 2005 for the riding of Port Moody – Westwood, at one point holding the position of Minister of Labour in 2010. Now, he has his sites on the position of BC Conservative Party leader, taking over from John Rustad, who stepped down in December 2025.

“I’m desperately worried about the state of British Columbia. There is nothing that’s working. Not public safety, not health care, not education. Don’t get me started on forestry, oil and gas and mining. The engine of our province has stalled, and the services being provided are not meeting the needs of the people.”

That is precisely what has drawn another into the race for the leadership. A young mother of two, Caroline Elliott.

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“Pick the issue that matters to you. Is it public safety? Is it the economy? Is it health care? Whatever it is, it’s probably not working very well. And if it was just a matter of money, everything should be working brilliantly because this government is racking up deficits with their spending.”

No one could have predicted the dominant showing for the Conservative Party of B.C. in the run up to the last provincial election, but since then, the party has been mired in uncertainty. That’s a challenge for whomever earns the job of leader.

“The challenge is a hand-in-glove fit with my career history,” says Black. “I spent most of the last 30 years getting involved in organizations that are desperately in need of some change, some focus, and some enthusiasm and motivation to achieve as a team something more than they thought they could do as individuals. And so that kind of transformative change, expertise is what I bring to this equation.”

“Normal British Columbians know that repeat violent offenders don’t belong in neighborhoods,” says Elliott. “Normal British Columbians know that if you have an abundance of natural resources at your doorstep and a prime geographic location relative to the rest of the world, we should be developing those responsibly and getting good jobs and good paychecks for British Columbian families. I could go on.”

Current Conservative MLA and former Mayor of Kamloops , Peter Milobar is also in the running for the leadership, which will be decided in May, as are Warren Hamm, Yuri Fulmer and local MLA Sheldon Clare.