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VIDEO: BC Conservatives talk mavericks, carbon tax, and women candidates

In case you missed it, BC Conservative Party leader John Cummins and Parksville-Qualicum candidate David Coupland appeared on Shaw TV's Voice of BC last week.

On the show, Cummins told host Vaughn Palmer the party's internal struggles last fall, which included some members quitting as well as a lawsuit, are "pretty much behind us."

He described his party's pre-election platform as focusing on the "bread and butter" issues of the province, like wages. British Columbia no longer has the highest wages in the country, Cummins said on the show, which has sparked an exodus of residents "that's reminiscent of the dark days of the '90s when the NDP was in power."

Cummins reiterated his support for the Northern Gateway pipeline, saying it "can be done properly," and elaborated on his party's commitment to eliminate the carbon tax.

Answering a question from pundit David Schreck about why the party has so few women candidates, Cummins said he hopes the party will be able to announce more in coming days. Currently, there's one woman listed among the 36 candidates profiled on the party's website.

"We've done the best we can to get as many (women candidates) as we can," Cummins said.

The BC Conservatives will run as close to a full slate of 85 candidates as possible, but will give independents Vicki Huntington and John van Dongen a pass by not opposing them in Delta South and Abbotsford South.

Watch the full interview in the video above.

Robyn Smith is The Tyee's election editor.

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