Caroline Elliott
Caroline Elliott is a Canadian academic, political commentator, and policy adviser who is a candidate in the 2026 Conservative Party of British Columbia leadership election. She holds a PhD in political science from Simon Fraser University, where her doctoral research examined tensions between Canadian liberal democracy and Indigenous self-governance. Elliott is a co-founder of the online opinion publication Without Diminishment and a senior fellow at the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy. She previously served as vice-president of BC United (formerly the BC Liberal Party) and worked in the British Columbia public sector, including in the provincial legislature under Premier Gordon Campbell and at BC Hydro.
Early life and education
Elliott grew up in Surrey, British Columbia, one of six siblings. She holds a PhD in political science from Simon Fraser University, where her doctoral work focused on Indigenous self-governance and potential tensions with Canadian liberal democracy. She has also taught British Columbia politics at SFU.
Career
Government and public sector
Early in her career, Elliott worked at the British Columbia Legislature for the Gordon Campbell government, serving as an adviser to the minister of transportation and subsequently the minister of environment. She later joined BC Hydro, where she was involved in the environmental assessment and approval process for the Site C dam project, from entry into the regulatory process through to construction several years later. After leaving BC Hydro, Elliott established a policy advisory practice working with clients in the energy, mining, and forestry sectors and on large infrastructure projects.
Commentary and public policy
Elliott is a senior fellow at the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy, a Canadian think tank. She has written on issues including reconciliation policy, property rights, and democratic governance for outlets including the National Post.
In October 2025, Elliott co-founded Without Diminishment, a Substack-based opinion publication, alongside commentators Alexander Brown and Geoff Russ. The publication describes itself as "the voice of Canada's new right" and covers Canadian politics, culture, and constitutional issues. Elliott took a leave of absence from the publication upon entering the leadership race in January 2026.
Until her entry into the leadership race, Elliott also served as a director of the Public Land Use Society, a British Columbia organisation that advocates for public access to Crown land for recreation and resource development.
BC United
Elliott was involved with BC United (formerly the BC Liberal Party) for a number of years, serving as a party vice-president. In 2024, she was nominated as a candidate in the riding of West Vancouver–Capilano ahead of the provincial election. She withdrew her candidacy and played a major role in the decision to suspend the party's campaign before the 2024 British Columbia general election in order to consolidate the centre-right vote behind the Conservative Party of British Columbia.
2026 Conservative Party of British Columbia leadership campaign
On 13 January 2026, Elliott announced her candidacy for the leadership of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, following the resignation of former leader John Rustad. The leadership election is scheduled for 30 May 2026.
Elliott has positioned her campaign around the argument that the Conservative Party must be able to defeat the governing New Democratic Party in a general election, emphasising electability alongside policy reform. Her campaign has received endorsements from former candidates Harman Bhangu and Darrell Jones, both of whom suspended their campaigns to support her.
A May 2026 Pallas Data poll of BC Conservative members found Elliott leading first-choice support at 31 per cent, ahead of Kerry-Lynne Findlay at 24 per cent, Iain Black at 18 per cent, Peter Milobar at 9 per cent, and Yuri Fulmer at 7 per cent, with 12 per cent undecided. Earlier polls by Research Co. (April 2026) and Mainstreet Research (March 2026) had also placed Elliott among the leading candidates, and Research Co. found her to be the only candidate who placed the Conservatives ahead of the NDP in a hypothetical head-to-head general election matchup.
Political positions
Indigenous policy and DRIPA
Elliott's most prominent policy position is her opposition to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), which was passed unanimously by the British Columbia legislature in 2019 and requires the province to align its laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Elliott has argued that the legislation, as interpreted by recent court decisions, including the 2025 Gitxaala ruling by the B.C. Court of Appeal, has created legal uncertainty around private property rights and mineral tenure, and has enabled land-use agreements that she characterises as secretive and undemocratic.
Her platform proposes to repeal DRIPA and associated amendments to the Interpretation Act; to review agreements signed under the legislation, including the Haida Agreement and the Sechelt Foundation Agreement; to protect private property through changes to government litigation directives; and to pursue treaty negotiations that she argues would balance Aboriginal rights under section 35 of the Constitution Act with private property protections and democratic accountability. She has also proposed publishing maps of all Aboriginal title claims in British Columbia and creating a BC First Nations Financial Transparency Act.
While all five remaining leadership candidates have pledged to repeal DRIPA, Elliott has distinguished her position by noting that she was publicly critical of the legislation before entering the race, while some of her opponents either voted for it or did not oppose it at the time.
Economy and natural resources
Elliott's economic platform centres on resource development as the primary driver of provincial prosperity. She has proposed expanding the mining, forestry, oil and gas (including LNG), and agriculture sectors; streamlining project permitting; appointing a minister responsible for economic growth; and scrapping the provincial government's CleanBC emissions-reduction plan, which she describes as economically harmful. She has also proposed positioning British Columbia as a supplier of hydroelectric power and natural gas to attract investment in data centres and other industries.
Education
On education, Elliott has proposed removing what she describes as "activist fads" from the provincial curriculum, including the SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) inclusive education programme, as well as land acknowledgements, decolonisation content, and critical race theory. Her platform proposes reinstating letter grades and standardised provincial exams, and emphasising instruction in literacy, numeracy, and STEM subjects.
Gender identity
Elliott's platform proposes prohibiting irreversible surgical and pharmaceutical interventions related to gender transition for minors, protecting female-only spaces such as shelters and prisons, and ensuring that sporting regulations require biological females to compete against other biological females.
Public safety and drugs
Elliott has proposed ending what she characterises as the NDP's "catch-and-release" approach to criminal justice, directing prosecutors to pursue stricter sentencing for repeat violent offenders, and implementing an anti-extortion action plan. On drug policy, she has proposed reversing the province's decriminalisation measures and "safer supply" programmes, redirecting resources toward treatment and recovery, empowering police to enforce the Mental Health Act for public drug use, and redeveloping Riverview Hospital as an addictions and mental health treatment facility.
Government and fiscal policy
Elliott has proposed reducing the size of the provincial public service following a spending review, cutting taxes, ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) hiring practices in the public sector, restoring merit-based hiring, and introducing a Ministerial Accountability Act that would cut ministers' pay if they exceed their budgets.
Temporary foreign workers
Elliott has proposed restricting the use of temporary foreign workers in the service sector, requiring employers to demonstrate that qualified local workers are not available before hiring foreign workers, and prioritising British Columbians for entry-level and service-sector employment.
Personal life
Elliott lives in North Vancouver with her husband and their two children.
References
1. "I'm in: Caroline Elliott confirms run for B.C. Conservative leadership." The Canadian Press, January 2026. https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/im-in-caroline-elliott-confirms-run-for-b-c-conservative-leadership/article_8a9fd812-aa77-51c6-a209-b4c443363327.html
2. "Caroline Elliott launches campaign for leader of B.C. Conservative Party." Voice Online, January 2026. https://voiceonline.com/caroline-elliott-launches-campaign-for-leader-of-b-c-conservative-party/
3. Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy, "About — Scholars." https://aristotlefoundation.org/about/#scholars
4. "How a little-known B.C. Conservative built up a backroom dream team." National Post, 2026. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/how-a-little-known-b-c-conservative-built-up-a-backroom-dream-team
5. Rob Shaw, "Leadership hopeful Elliott says it's time to restore pride in being conservative." Business in Vancouver, 16 January 2026. https://www.biv.com/news/commentary/rob-shaw-leadership-hopeful-elliott-says-its-time-to-restore-pride-in-being-conservative-11749478
6. "Falcon ally Elliott would double down on failed B.C. Liberal approach, says Higginson." BC NDP Caucus press release, 16 January 2026. https://bcndpcaucus.ca/news/falcon-ally-elliott-would-double-down-on-failed-b-c-liberal-approach-says-higginson/
7. Wolfgang Depner (Canadian Press), "Yuri Fulmer, Caroline Elliott clash early during B.C. Conservative leadership contest." Business in Vancouver, 24 April 2026. https://www.biv.com/news/yuri-fulmer-caroline-elliott-clash-early-during-bc-conservative-leadership-contest-12187572
8. "NP View: Caroline Elliott is a beacon of hope for B.C." National Post, 30 April 2026. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/np-view-caroline-elliott-is-a-beacon-of-hope-for-b-c
9. Mario Canseco, "B.C. Conservatives face tight leadership race among undecided voters." Research Co. / Business in Vancouver, April 2026. https://www.biv.com/news/commentary/mario-canseco-bc-conservatives-face-tight-leadership-race-among-undecided-voters-12184008
10. Caroline Elliott campaign, "Policies." WinForBC.ca. Accessed May 2026. https://www.winforbc.ca/policies
11. "BC Conservative Hopefuls Face the 'Least Objectionable' Challenge." The Tyee, 1 May 2026. https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/05/01/BC-Conservative-Least-Objectionable-Challenge/
12. "PODCAST: Caroline Elliott: 'This province is at a crucial time.'" Northern Beat, February 2026. https://northernbeat.ca/podcast/podcast-caroline-elliott/
13. 2026 Conservative Party of British Columbia leadership election. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Conservative_Party_of_British_Columbia_leadership_election
14. Without Diminishment, "About." https://www.withoutdiminishment.com/about