Reactions to Peace River North MLA leaving Conservatives pour in from local figures

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Many influential figures within the Peace region have shared their surprise at Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy’s decision to leave the BC Conservatives.

Kealy announced his defection from the party on Friday, March 7th, in the wake of fellow Conservative MLA Dallas Brodie being removed due to comments she made during a podcast appearance.

He went on to confirm his departure from the party in a social media statement on Sunday, March 9th, and again in a press conference outside the Legislative Assembly of B.C. on Monday, March 10th.

After Brodie’s removal, another MLA left the party alongside Kealy. There was some early discussion about the possibility of the three politicians creating a new party, but no further information regarding that idea has been confirmed.

Kealy’s decision has been divisive, with many local figures saying they disagree. 

One of those figures is Larry Neufeld, a member of the BC Conservatives and the MLA for Peace River South. Neufeld was elected alongside Kealy in the 2024 provincial general election.

“While I don’t agree with the decision made by Jordan, I respect the democracy in which this type of decision can be made,” Neufeld said in a written statement to Energeticcity.ca.

“I am fully committed to the Conservative Party of BC and its leader John Rustad. I will focus on holding the NDP government to account as part of a strong and unified caucus.”

Another dissenting voice is Dan Davies, the former MLA for Peace River North. Davies was beaten by Kealy in the 2024 election, when he ran as an independent candidate following the dissolution of the BC United party.

In an interview with Energeticcity.ca, Davies said his first reaction upon hearing the news was disappointment.

“Jordan won fair and square [in the election], and I have no beefs about that whatsoever,” he said. “I put everything I had into that election, and people spoke: they wanted a party, they wanted the Conservative Party, I get it.”

Davies called Kealy’s decision a “slap in the face” to the people of the Peace River North riding.

“This is Jordan’s decision, and he’ll have to live with it, but I certainly don’t think that this was the right decision to make, because now he’s sitting as an independent.”

He claimed there are “fundamental differences” between himself running as an independent after eight years in the provincial legislature and Kealy becoming independent after just a few weeks.

“In sitting as an independent, or as a small fringe party if they create one, they’re not going to be making any deals with our present government, because I’m pretty sure our present government, like most people, doesn’t really agree with a lot of the stuff that the three of them are going down the path [of].”

Davies went on to say he doesn’t believe the region will be well represented for the next four years.

Some residents have also shown support for Kealy’s choice, voicing their approval on social media.

“I have known you [Kealy] and your wife for a few years now,” one post reads, “and the one thing I can say about you is that you are the salt-of-the-earth type of person.

“You have a huge heart and I believe you absolutely care. I’m just surprised it took you so long to see the real politics. Well done and you have my support.”

Another commenter named Nora Guno, who described herself as a “pure-bred Canadian First Nation woman,” said the amount of pushback Kealy was receiving for “standing up for right over wrong” is a sign that he is doing the right thing.

Trevor Bolin, a member of Fort St. John council and the former leader of the BC Conservatives, also shared his opinion on the situation with Energeticcity.ca, saying he had been lucky enough to speak with Kealy personally shortly after his announcement.

“People are going to be torn regardless,” Bolin said, “because you either voted for him because of who he is, you voted for him because of his platform for this area, and I’ve seen some people post that they voted for him because he was running for the Conservative Party of British Columbia.”

Despite his decision to leave the party, Bolin urged residents to continue to support Kealy.

“Regardless of the reason that you voted for him, I think the support is what still needs to be there,” Bolin said. 

“He is still our MLA, regardless of sitting for the Conservatives or being independent, or forming another party like has been mentioned. He is our MLA, and he needs our support in order to fight our battles in Victoria.”

Bolin said he felt Friday was likely “the wrong time” for Kealy to make and share his decision.

“I honestly think that, if I was Jordan, looking back, there’s probably other ways I would have shared with the community around why [he left the party],” Bolin explained. 

He says Kealy has expressed other issues with the party in his time since being elected, and that he feels the issue with Brodie’s removal from caucus overshadowed those other problems Kealy had in the eyes of the public.

“All of a sudden it became this one-horse show, and it became about Dallas, and I don’t believe, in reading Jordan’s latest comments, that that was the actual reason. I think, from reading his comments and his statements lately, I think it was a compilation of things.”

Bolin also said he understands residents’ negative reactions, and that many people don’t want to see the Conservative Party divided.

“People in this region want to see the reign of power for the NDP over, they want to see a different form of governance and some of the platforms that have been discussed put into place, and I think that people feel that flipped a little bit farther away.”

To reassure residents, he says this isn’t necessarily the case, as Kealy is still committed to “small-c conservative” policies and financial platforms.

“If the right bill was on the table, I think that becomes a discussion of, ‘are these three still in favour with the opposition going forward?’ And I think we need to look at that on a bill-by-bill basis.”

Energeticcity.ca also contacted Connie Greyeyes from the Indigenous Residential School Survivors’ Society and Marlene Roy from the Treaty 8 Tribal Association for statements regarding the situation, and will update this story with their reaction when it becomes available.