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West Vancouver businessman Yuri Fulmer jokes that he's not a stuffed shirt.
“When I started in business, I sat behind the counter at an A&W store with eight other employees wearing polyester uniforms and cooked a lot of teenage burgers all day long,” he said.
Born in Perth, Australia, Fulmer eventually became the owner of dozens of A&W franchises throughout Western Canada, as well as a number of other businesses.
On Tuesday, he announced his future candidacy to lead the British Columbia Conservative Party, using his own background and emphasis on accessibility as key parts of his message.
“I was able to buy a house, I was able to buy a car, I was able to start a family. You know, these things are no longer available to British Columbians,” Fulmer said.
“I've been involved in community service, I've been involved in business all over the province… I'm ready to work and I'm ready to put to use the skills that I've spent 30 years developing in this beautiful province.”
The race to replace Conservative leader John Rustad is heating up. Former party candidate and prominent business leader Yuri Fulmer will enter the race on Tuesday. CBC's Justin McElroy talks about what he promises and some of the challenges he faces.
Rules, deadlines and candidates are yet to come
Fulmer is chancellor of Capilano University and was the provincial Conservative candidate in the 2024 provincial election, losing narrowly to BC Green's Jeremy Valeriott in the West Vancouver-Sea Sky.
This election saw the Conservatives come within a few seats of forming a government, but have since been dogged by a number of desertion or layoffs from the party, culminating in the resignation of former leader Jon Rustad in December and debate over what the party should focus on in the future.
“We've been focusing on culture war issues, and at the same time we have a group of MLAs, and there's a part of the base that wants to focus on financial issues,” said Angelo Isidorou, the party's executive director.
“I really believe deeply that we can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
Fulmer appears to want to focus on financial issues: After talking about affordability several times, he was asked if he would also focus his campaign on social issues, such as a sex education curriculum or free speech.
“It's not about my agenda, it's about the agenda that British Columbians tell me is important to them,” he said.
“And really what I hear from them is about affordability, about health care, about public safety and about the economy. And that’s what I’m going to focus on,” adding that property rights issues raised by the Cowichan Tribes’ decision will also be a priority.
A number of other people are considering nominations, including MLAs Peter Milobar and Harman Bhangu, former Conservative MPs Kerry-Lynn Findlay and Ian Black, Independent Contractors and Business Association (ICBA) president Chris Gardner and political commentator Caroline Elliott.
The party has created a steering committee to set dates and rules for its leader, with the intention of electing a new leader by the summer.
The British Columbia Conservatives have created a seven-member committee to draw up the rules for the spring leadership race that will determine a permanent replacement for Jon Rustad, who resigned last month as party leader. As CBC's Katie DeRosa reports, the party hopes this race will heal old wounds.
