Sir Richard McBride, was a British Columbia politician and is often considered the founder of the British Columbia Conservative Party. McBride was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1898 election and served in the cabinet of James Dunsmuir from 1900 to 1901. McBride believed that the province's system of non-party government was unstable and hindered development. After the lieutenant-governor appointed him the 16th premier in June 1903 and McBride announced that his government was a Conservative Party administration and would contest the upcoming election along party lines. On October 3, 1903, McBride's party, the British Columbia Conservative Party won the first provincial election to be fought along party lines with a two-seat majority.

The Conservative Party of British Columbia, formerly known as the British Columbia Conservative Party or BC Conservatives, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. In the early half of the 20th century, the Conservatives competed with the British Columbia Liberal Party for power in the province. However, the party has had only a minor presence in the legislature since the 1950s, and last ran a full slate in 1960. The current party leader is Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad, who was originally elected as a BC Liberal.