The interim leader of the B.C. Conservative Party, Trevor Halford, is being called a calm and articulate progressive conservative, who is well-liked by his colleagues.
That description comes from former MP and Surrey mayor, Dianne Watts.
“He really has the ability to bring people together and focus on the issues at hand,” said Watts, who has known Halford for many years.
Halford was first elected as an MLA in 2020 as a B.C. Liberal MLA for Surrey-White Rock.
He made it clear Thursday that he considers himself a caretaker leader and indicated he was not interested in running for the job permanently.
Watts believes he will take a different approach than
and that his appointment as interim leader is likely the reset the party needs.
“John surely had his challenges and he’s dealt with them as he sees fit, but I think that Trevor deals with things in a different way,” said Watts. “He’s definitely not a divisive person, and he focuses on the issues and brings people together. And I think that certainly is a skill set that is needed at this juncture.”
The B.C. Liberals rebranded as B.C. United but later bowed out of the 2024 election. Halford then ran as a Conservative and was re-elected.
Under Rustad, he served as the shadow minister for several ministries, including transportation and infrastructure and mental health and addictions.
Before being elected, he worked for a number of politicians, including then premier Christy Clark.
He also worked as director of public affairs for
TransCanada Pipelines
.
Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at UBC, said Halford is respected and seen as someone who can provide stability for the party while they decide on who will be the leader.
“I think he is seen as somebody who can can speak for more middle of the road conservatives, but clearly also is seen to be trusted by enough of the caucus to steer the party through what is a very tumultuous and still uncertain period,” said Prest.
Prest said Halford has been involved in politics at various levels for more than a decade but at the same time isn’t strongly associated with some of the older debates within the former B.C. Liberal party.
“He has that combination of a new voice and an informed voice at the same time. So I think that that provides a benefit, and clearly he has been able to win the trust of this badly divided caucus.”
On Thursday, Halford, now the official leader of the Opposition, said he’s ready to take on the NDP government and tackle what he calls the mismanagement of several key issues, including emergency room closures, surgery waiting lists, and mill closures.
“This government’s agenda was defined by denial, secrecy, and incompetence,” Halford said in a statement.
“Every crisis worsened because they refused to act until it was too late.”
Earlier this year, Halford fired back at Premier David Eby over
the hiring of a special adviser
on improving services in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and then abruptly halting the contract after backlash. Halford said the contract, worth $325,000, was awarded to Michael Bryant without competition, public disclosure or clearly defined deliverables.
“This wasn’t accountability, it was damage control,” Halford said, in a statement at the time.
Born and raised in South Surrey, Halford is a graduate of Elgin Park Secondary and Trinity Western University, a Christian university. He and his wife, Holly, have three children.
In the past, he’s championed issues such as affordable housing, the economy, childcare and supporting small business.
