Her party name may have changed, but Elenore Sturko’s fiscal conservatism hasn’t. The platform CentreBC released today is a plan for cuts to the services people rely on.

By CentreBC’s own numbers, their platform would add an additional $13.7 billion in operating spending over four years - and yet projects the deficit will fall to about $9.0 billion in 2030/31 and balance the budget by 2034/35.

They also commit that their new Balanced Budget and Spending Control Act will require that “Existing day-to-day spending will grow at least 1.5 points a year more slowly than Budget 2026 planned.” That commitment alone means a $1.5 billion cut in 2027/28 and a $3 billion cut in 2028/29.

Claiming frontline services will be protected doesn’t make it true. Like the other conservative parties, CentreBC can’t credibly claim that they can find massive “efficiencies” without impacting front-line services, and that they can both add $13.7 billion in spending and aggressively bring the deficit down without significant new revenues.

This CentreBC’s conservative plan for cuts is true to form. Sturko was the third MLA to join John Rustad’s BC Conservative Party. Even after leaving the BC Conservatives, Sturko affirmed: “I'm a fiscal conservative." She has also said, “I’m proud to call myself a provincial and federal conservative,” in a post alongside a photo with Pierre Poilievre.

CentreBC candidate Andrew Weaver also has a recent conservative streak, endorsing the B.C. Conservatives in the last election, despite their recordof climate denial.

Jennifer Whiteside, BC NDP Candidate for New Westminster-Coquitlam:

“Elenore Sturko describes herself as a proud conservative, and she was one of the first MLAs to join the BC Conservative Party. She’s changed her party once again, but she hasn't changed her stripes. CentreBC’s conservative cuts would hurt people and the services they count on - people can’t afford that.”