Controversial Okanagan MLA rumoured to be rejoining BC Cons as recall ramps up

The recall campaign for controversial Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong has been delayed until the end of the summer, but rumours that she could rejoin the BC Conservatives could make that more complicated.

Armstrong’s constituents have been planning to file a petition to get her ousted from office for months following numerous controversies like her effort to get the BC Human Rights Code repealed. Nothing has been confirmed as far as Armstrong’s efforts to rejoin the BC Conservatives.

Armstrong was initially elected as a BC Conservative before she started a new party, OneBC, then she was removed from OneBC and currently sits as an independent MLA.

The BC Conservatives recently elected a new leader, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, who Armstrong had endorsed during the party leadership campaign.

Since Findlay took over the party there have been rumblings that former BC Conservatives could come back into the fold, as several have left the party since the election in 2024.

Wilbur Turner is one of the recall petition organizers and he said that the campaign is prepared to go ahead even if Armstrong gets back into the BC Conservatives.

“I know there is speculation about it. She’s actually said to stay tuned for more news by the end of the month. So it looks like she may be actively internally campaigning with the Conservatives to rejoin them,” Turner told iNFOnews.ca. “It will definitely impact the recall campaign if that happens. To what extent, it’s hard to say.”

The recall campaign has received support from across the political spectrum in Armstrong’s riding, and there were even people involved with the BC Conservatives who offered to help get her out of office before Findlay won the party leadership.

The recall petition is set to launch in September and if it collects 18,000 signatures within 60 days of filing then it will remove Armstrong from office and trigger a byelection.

When the petition launches the organizers plan to have venues for people to sign since signatures have to be collected in person.

There has never been a successful recall campaign in B.C., but there is an active petition attempting to oust MLA Dallas Brodie, the cofounder of OneBC.

Armstrong’s office did not respond to a request for comment.