Former B.C. Conservative MLA Amelia Boultbee, who has been sitting as an Independent since leaving the party in 2025, has now joined the B.C. NDP caucus.
Boultbee made the announcement July 3 alongside B.C. Premier David Eby, saying that she had “confidence” in Eby and his caucus, and didn’t support the direction taken by the B.C. Conservatives.
“When I think about who is best positioned to do this work, my confidence is with this premier and this caucus,” Boultbee said.
Boultbee responded to a question from press as to what she would say to constituents who had elected her to be a Conservative voice for her interior B.C. riding of Penticton-Summerland by saying her choice to join the NDP puts constituents first.
“Every decision I make is first and foremost with my constituents in mind, and there’s a lot of things going on in this province that people didn’t vote for,” she said.
“The way that party has gone so far to the right, British Columbians did not vote for that leader,” Boultbee added of the B.C. Conservatives and Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who was voted in as B.C. Tory Leader on May 30.
Changing Party Affiliations
Boultbee was first elected in the October 2024 provincial election, but quit the party a year later after criticizing then-leader John Rustad, accusing him of intimidating MLAs who opposed him and demonstrating “failed leadership.”
Rustad responded by accusing Boultbee of leaking internal caucus information to the media and suggested she seek help for mental health concerns.
Boultbee has sat as an Independent since October 2025 and has often said she would think about coming back to the party if a new leader is chosen.
Boultbee, who calls herself a political centrist, has often criticized the B.C. Conservative Party while sitting as an Independent as well as repeating past disagreements with the party caucus on social issues such as LGBT issues.
Reactions
Eby said Boultbee will help to “anchor” the NDP in the Okanagan region of the province and said her legal expertise as a lawyer will also assist the party.
He added that she had shown “principle” and support for human rights when she left the B.C. Conservatives previously and said he was “incredibly appreciative and recognize[s] the courage” it took for Boultbee to decide to join the NDP.
Eby said Boultbee had decided to join “on a purely voluntary basis” and hadn’t been given any offers or commitments in exchange for her coming onboard.
For her part, Findlay criticized Boultbee’s decision to join the NDP.
“The question I would have is, why are you joining a sinking ship?” Findlay said at an unrelated press conference in Boultbee’s riding of Pentiction where B.C. Tories were holding their first official gathering of the year under Findlay’s tenure.
“I have had many wonderful potential candidates come forward to me and say we want to run, we will win this seat back as Conservatives, and we’re looking forward to it,” Findlay added.
Former B.C. Conservative MLA Tara Armstrong, who left to join the then-newly-formed OneBC Party with Dallas Brodie in June of last year and since departed to sit as an Independent, reacted with sarcasm to Boultbee’s exit.
“Radical Leftwing MLA joins Radical Leftwing party. Colour me shocked,” Armstrong posted July 3 on X, noting that her press office had previously joked on June 26 that Boultbee was the newest member of the B.C. NDP.
Balance of Power
With Boultbee’s addition to the NDP caucus, the party now has a two-seat majority in the B.C. legislature.
Eby’s small majority has put political pressure on his government, including earlier this year when he walked back plans to pause parts of the provincial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
Recent polls suggest the B.C. NDP and B.C. Tories are close in terms of support, with a June 5 Leger poll putting the B.C. Conservatives at 45 percent among decided voters compared to 41 percent for the NDP and 8 percent for the Greens.
A Research Co. poll released June 8 showed the two parties tied for support at 42 percent each, while Angus Reid polling released June 16 found the B.C. Conservatives leading in vote intention.
