Kevin Falcon has stepped down as BC United, the political party formerly known as the BC Liberals.
The entity was recently deregistered by Elections BC.
In a post on X Wednesday evening, he explained why he had remained in the position for two years after joining forces with now-former BC Conservative leader John Rustad and folding into the fledgling party.
"British Columbians could no longer afford a divided vote on the centre-right," Falcon wrote. "The stakes for our province were too high to let division stand in the way of a strong, credible alternative. Coming together under one political umbrella was the right decision for British Columbia, and I stand by it."
He argued that this was "particularly acute" over the past few months "when extreme pressure was being exerted by those who had given up on the Conservative Party of BC as a credible option."
"Myself and the board resisted those entreaties, certain that common sense would ultimately win the day as it did," Falcon added.
Jarryd Jäger
In September, as the BC Conservatives dealt with internal drama, a coalition of former BC Liberal/United executives, riding association leaders, supporters, and volunteers have launched a campaign to "reclaim" the party from Falcon.
The Unite Liberal BC network called on him to "step aside," citing "party constitution, active debt-free status, and the need for a viable centre-right alternative to defeat the BC NDP."
That effort faded as the BC Conservatives put themselves back together again under Doerkson.
In his statement, Falcon went on to note that he had made a commitment to BC United's members, donors, and volunteers to remain leader until all party debt was "dealt with appropriately," and that it was now "paid in full."
Falcon then congratulated Premier-elect Lorne Doerkson, adding that the BC Conservatives' "maturation as a party was challenging to state the obvious, but David Eby's cynical early election call focused everyone's minds on the bigger picture."
"I wish them every success in the difficult work ahead," he concluded.
