Kerry-Lynne Findlay won the BC Conservative leadership race on Saturday and one of the issues up in the air is whether she’ll be able to bring back MLAs who left the party, two of whom are Okanagan MLAs.

Six MLAs have left the BC Conservatives since the provincial election including Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee and Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong.

Boultbee said she doesn’t think she wants to come back, and it isn’t clear if Findlay has the support of other MLAs in caucus to bring Armstrong back.

Armstrong has been a highly controversial figure and some BC Conservatives don’t want her back in the party, while Boultbee said Armstrong isn’t likely to want to come back.

There’s a recall campaign against Armstrong and she is one of the sitting MLAs who endorsed Findlay for leadership and congratulated her on the win.

Wilbur Turner is an activist who has been leading the recall campaign to get Armstrong out of office. The campaign was delayed because of potential support from some BC Conservatives.

He said the possibility of Findlay trying to bring Armstrong back into the party could bring in more support for the recall campaign from MLAs and constituents.

“It’s clear to me that would actually encourage more support for the campaign. They do not want Tara Armstrong back in caucus,” Turner said. “There’s a lot of concern I’m hearing from Conservatives, both in the riding and from some who’ve reached out to me who are part of the caucus about that prospect. They’re very unhappy with the idea that she would be invited back.”

Armstrong’s controversies are numerous, including when she used a Nazi slogan to attack reconciliation with First Nations, an attempt to repeal the BC Human Rights Code and various attacks against the transgender community.

The new BC Conservative leader said if she became premier she would ban social and medical gender transitions for kids, among other controversial moments on the campaign trail.

The recall petition against Armstrong was going to be filed in April, then it was delayed until the end of the leadership race, but now Turner said the petition to oust Armstrong from office is set to be filed at the end of August to give the campaign more time to adjust.

“Optimism is fairly high, even the political insiders in the Conservative Party think this is the opportunity for the first ever successful recall campaign,” he said.

Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew said that Findlay is going to be getting input from the caucus before bringing any departed MLAs back into the fold.

“That’s going to be an active conversation with the caucus,” Dew said.

“Kerry-Lynne has made it clear that she wants to hear from caucus members as to what approach they’d like to see in that regard. And I think that’s something that we’ll work through together over the weeks ahead.”

Boultbee left the BC Conservatives because of former leader John Rustad’s conduct, including removing MLA Elenore Sturko from the party.

Boultbee said she doesn’t agree with Findlay on some significant social issues like trans rights.

“No disrespect to Kerry-Lynne Findlay. I have a weird soft spot for her because not only are we both lawyers, but we’re from the same sorority,” she said.

“Some of her positions that are so much further to the right than what I believe would be a safe policy issue… I do have trans people in my community who tell me that they’re very afraid when they hear the way (Findlay) talks about trans people.”

She didn’t completely rule out going back to the BC Conservative Party.

“Under the right circumstances, I would love to be part of the caucus,” Boultbee said.

“Being extreme on some of the social issues, it’s a red line for me. I’m just watching and waiting and seeing what happens just like everybody else.”

Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong declined to comment.