Delta South MLA Ian Paton is now part of the Conservative Party of B.C. leadership team after being named Lower Mainland lieutenant, the party announced Monday, June 29.

Paton said he’s honoured to be named but doesn’t know much about it, other than he’s going to stand in for party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay when she’s not in the area.

“That’s about all I know about it so far,” he said, adding there’s a caucus meeting this week in Penticton where he’ll learn more.

Paton said that normally a leadership team consists of about five people but Findlay has expanded that to include three representatives from different areas of the province and three lieutenants in charge of stakeholder relations.

Those six lieutenants have been named to the leadership team as well as eight others, creating a team of 14.

Prince George MLA Sheldon Clare was named official Opposition house leader while Chilliwack MLA Heather Maahs was named interim leader of the Opposition.

Findlay was named leader of the Conservative Party of B.C. in May narrowly defeating Caroline Elliott but still has to win a seat in the legislature.

“My new leadership team represents a unified force from all parts of B.C. that will hold the government to account and lay the foundation to rebuild our great province,” Findlay said in a news release.

Paton on June 30 was also re-named agriculture critic.

The NDP issued a news release in response saying that Findlay is taking an extreme approach while not including more moderate MLAs.

Former interim Conservative party leader and former B.C. Liberal Trevor Halford was not included in the leadership team.

“We’ll have to wait and see. I know there are talented people, Peter Milobar, Trevor Halford. There’s some pretty good talent there. They were steering the ship, right up until three weeks ago.“ said Paton. “So I guess it’s the leader’s prerogative to come up with a new team of people that supported her.”

Paton said while there’s lots of experience with former Liberal and BC United types, Findlay has opted for new MLAs.

“I’m not going to make any real big statements now. Let’s go into the fall session and let’s see how they operate and see how they do,” Paton said.

He added that the party is doing well as it heads into the fall session, with money coming in and the B.C. Conservatives leading the NDP in the polls.

“I think everybody is just going to keep their fingers crossed.  “We’re all just hoping that it will go smoothly,” he said.