Former Conservative MLA Amelia Boultbee announced Friday she is joining the B.C. NDP caucus, giving Premier David Eby a stronger majority and more legislative flexibility. Boultbee, who had been sitting as an independent since leaving the Conservatives last year, said the party's hard-right turn under new leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay drove her decision.
Floor-Crossing Strengthens NDP Majority
Boultbee's move brings the NDP to 48 seats, three more than the combined opposition of B.C. Conservatives, Greens, and remaining independents. This reduces Eby's need to rely on Speaker Raj Chouhan to cast tie-breaking votes on budget legislation and other confidence matters.
“What was promised as a big-tent party is getting smaller every day, with a new leader consumed with divisive Donald Trump-style populism than with the things that actually matter to people,” Boultbee told reporters.
Eby Welcomes Boultbee's Decision
Premier Eby praised Boultbee for “standing up for principle” and for her constituents in Penticton-Summerland. The floor-crossing caps a week of positive news for the premier, who has faced a precarious balance in the legislature.
Boultbee quit the Conservatives last year, citing lost confidence in then-leader John Rustad. She had hinted earlier this year she might return to the opposition caucus under new leadership, but ultimately chose the NDP.
Mixed Voting Record Raises Questions
Boultbee's voting record in the recent session is inconsistent with her sudden embrace of the NDP. She voted against the government's enabling law for the K'omoks First Nation treaty, which some Conservatives supported. She also angered her former party by backing a government procedural motion to cut off debate on legislation weakening the Freedom of Information law.
However, on the final vote for that bill, she abandoned the NDP and sided with opposition parties, forcing another tie-breaking vote from the Speaker. She also voted against the NDP budget and related confidence measures, denouncing the fiscal plan in scathing terms.
Boultbee's Criticism of NDP Budget
“This budget asks British Columbians to accept a projected $13-billion-plus deficit as business as usual. It asks families to accept mounting debt as inevitable. And it asks small businesses, already struggling under inflation, rising input costs and public safety challenges, to accept new taxes on the very services they rely on to survive,” Boultbee said earlier.
“This is now one of the largest deficits in British Columbia’s history. Debt is climbing. Interest payments, money that does not build a single hospital bed or hire a single police officer, are consuming billions of dollars that could otherwise go to front-line services. That is not sustainable, it is not compassionate, and it is not responsible.”
Impact on Legislative Dynamics
Despite her past opposition, Boultbee's floor-crossing gives the NDP a more comfortable margin. The government now holds 48 seats out of 87, compared to 45 for the Conservatives, two for the Greens, and two independents. This reduces the Speaker's role in breaking ties on confidence votes, which had become a frequent occurrence.
