Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee says her decision to join the B.C. NDP caucus came down to what would be best for the people she represents.
“I’ll be the first MLA in 10 years who’s been on the government bench in my riding, and that’s going to be great for my community and for my constituents,” she told the Western News. “It wasn’t something I did lightly, but I feel great about the decision, and I know that it’s going to be nothing but good for my community.”
She said the decision crystallized in her mind about a week before the surprise July 3 announcement, but it had been something she was mulling over for a long time.
Originally elected in 2024 as a member of the B.C. Conservative Party, Boultbee left to become an Independent after clashing with then-party leader John Rustad.
Her move to join the NDP puts that party into a solid majority with 48 of the legislature’s 93 seats. This means the party will no longer need Speaker Raj Chouhan to provide a tiebreaking vote on confidence motions.
But Boultbee downplayed the impact on votes, emphasizing instead the benefits of not having to shout across the floor to get things done for the people in her riding.
“My focus is on being an advocate for my constituents, and with two years left in the term, looking at how I can best serve them,” she said. “I’m really excited because the B.C. NDP are professional legislators,”
The issues that are top of mind for Boultbee haven’t changed, with community safety, affordability, housing and access to healthcare being the most pressing problems she wants to tackle.
One of the first meetings she hopes to have is with Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Christine Boyle regarding the Fairview encampment, which has vexed Penticton’s community for more than a year.
“We’re looking for solutions for the people who are there, finding them a bed that makes sense for them, and I know that Minister Boyle is working really hard on it,” Boultbee said. “I’m here to get results for my constituents, and I think that people get caught up in this academic debate about where you are on a circle or spectrum, and we need to deal with community safety. We need to clear that encampment and get those people help; I don’t care what colour someone’s t-shirt is.”
Boultbee says she knows there will be people who voted for her as a Conservative who might feel betrayed by her choice to join the NDP.
“I understand that people often vote for the party, but there is no resemblance at all today or even in the last year, or since we got elected to what I was promised as a candidate and what we ran on and what I promised when I ran,” she said. “I promised my community when I ran that we were going to respect the LGBTQ community. I promised them that we weren’t going to devolve into divisive Trump-style populism, because that was always the fear. And that’s exactly what happened.
“It’s really unfortunate that I got put in this position where I had no choice but to be Independent, which led to me working with the NDP and developing a relationship with them.”
At almost the same time as Premier David Eby and Boultbee appeared in Victoria to announce the move, B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynn Findlay held a press conference in Penticton following her party’s caucus retreat.
Findlay questioned why Boultbee was joining a “sinking ship” with the NDP – and otherwise brushed off the impact of Boultbee’s move.
-With files from Mark Page