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MLA Davis explains loyalty to party and leader
Kootenay Rockies MLA Pete Davis recently outlined why he’s remaining loyal to the BC Conservative Party and leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, with nine MLAs quitting the party to serve as independents in the past three week.
Among the nine MLAs to leave the party is Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Scott McInnis.
“Over the past several days, a number of people across Kootenay-Rockies have reached out and asked me to explain why I continue to stand with the Conservative Party of British Columbia. I think you deserve a clear answer,” Davis stated on social media.
“My involvement in politics didn’t begin when I became an MLA. It started more than 10 years ago when I began volunteering with the federal Conservative Party.
“I became involved with our local Electoral District Association, first serving as a director, then vice-president and eventually president. I spent years volunteering, knocking on doors, helping campaign and working alongside people who shared a belief that conservative principles could make our country and our communities stronger.
“Eventually, that journey led me to put my own name forward as a candidate for the Conservative Party of British Columbia,” Davis said.
“Over those years, I’ve watched the federal Conservative movement go through its own ups and downs. I’ve seen different leaders, difficult elections, internal debates and periods when people wondered what came next. But the movement continued because it was always bigger than any one moment.
“That experience has shaped how I look at what’s happening today.”
Davis said he joined the Conservative Party of BC three years ago because he believed in its principles “and because I wanted to make a difference for the people of our region and our province. Those reasons haven’t changed.
“And this provincial party wasn’t built in a day. People worked quietly behind the scenes for years to build it. Two brave MLAs took a stand and gave the Conservative Party a voice in the Legislature. Volunteers gave countless hours. Members stepped up. Candidates put their names on ballots. British Columbians put their trust in what we were building.
“Over the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting and getting to know many of those amazing people. I’ve heard their stories, seen how much they care about this province, and many of them have become very good friends. I know how much of themselves they put into building this party and getting it to where it is today.
“I’m not ready to give up on something that so many people worked so hard to build,” Davis said, adding, “I also recognize there are serious questions being raised right now. I hear those concerns, and I believe they deserve to be heard and taken seriously. There will be time to assess where we are, learn from what is happening and determine what needs to be done going forward.
“We also have an important byelection ahead of us, and people across British Columbia will be watching closely.
“But challenges within a party don’t mean you simply walk away from it.
“A political party is bigger than any one person, any one decision or any one difficult moment. It’s built on its principles, its members, its volunteers and the people who put their trust in it. We won’t always agree on everything, and there will be times when we need to have difficult conversations. That’s not a reason to give up it’s a reason to stay engaged and work to make the party stronger,” Davis noted.
“For me, being a Conservative is about the principles I campaigned on, the commitments I made and the people I represent.
“I believe our future must be as a strong, big-tent, centre-right party. There has to be room for all from across the spectrum. We don’t have to agree on everything to work together,” he said.
“And let’s remember how close we came. In the last provincial election, we came within roughly 200 votes of reducing the NDP to a minority government and fewer than 1,000 votes across a handful of ridings from potentially forming a majority government ourselves. We were that close.
“Division only makes the NDP’s job easier. If those of us on the centre-right split into different parties and different camps, we make it harder to bring the change so many British Columbians voted for.
“We need to unite the centre-right, not divide it. That’s how we earn the opportunity to form government and make meaningful change in this province.
“When the going gets tough, my instinct isn’t to walk away. You stay. You listen. You speak up when necessary. You work through the challenges and try to make your team stronger.
“I respect friends and colleagues who have chosen a different path and I wish them well. But their decision doesn’t have to be mine.
“Before I ever made a decision as significant as changing the banner under which I was elected, I would talk to the people of Kootenay-Rockies. You elected me, and your voice matters.
“To our members, volunteers and supporters who are frustrated or wondering what comes next: I hear you. I know this isn’t easy. But please, I urge you to hold on.
“Now is the time to stand together, not pull apart. Don’t give up on what we’ve built and don’t let division decide our future,” he urged.
“I’ve seen conservative parties go through difficult periods before. They get through them. They learn, they rebuild and they become stronger. I believe we can do the same.
“If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to me. I want to hear from you. Let’s keep talking to each other rather than walking away from each other. I’m not ready to give up. I hope you’re not either.
“I’m staying. Now is the time to stand together,” Davis concluded.
MLA Davis was also recently re-named Shadow Minister for Mining and Critical Minerals.
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