Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigns as BC Conservative leader after months of turmoil

Kerry-Lynne Findlay has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party of BC, ending a brief and turbulent tenure marked by internal disputes, allegations involving senior party officials and the loss of more than a dozen caucus members.

Findlay announced her resignation on Sunday, September 20th, less than four months after winning the party leadership.

“I will not allow an internal battle over my leadership to become a continuing distraction from the work British Columbians need a strong opposition to do,” Findlay said in a two-page statement.

She acknowledged making decisions she would handle differently in hindsight and said she accepted responsibility for those choices.

“Leadership requires accountability,” she wrote. “I have listened. I have reflected.”

Findlay also said disagreements over her leadership had escalated into attacks against her character and family, as well as threats directed toward them.

“There comes a moment when leadership requires you to consider not simply whether you can continue a fight, but whether continuing that fight serves the people and the cause you entered public life to serve,” she said.

“I have reached that moment.”

Her resignation followed another significant blow to the party earlier Sunday when Surrey-Serpentine River MLA Linda Hepner announced she was leaving the Conservative caucus.

Hepner said the removal of former leader John Rustad, former interim leader Trevor Halford and Skeena MLA Claire Rattée from caucus on Friday prompted her decision.

The three MLAs had been among those pressing Findlay to resign. Findlay responded by removing them from caucus, saying the party needed to focus on defeating Premier David Eby’s NDP rather than internal power struggles.

Today, I am resigning as Leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia.

This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one for our movement and our province.

My full statement: pic.twitter.com/gWslJ1YM2V

— Kerry-Lynne Findlay (@KerryLynneFindl) September 20, 2026

Hepner’s departure reduced the BC Conservative caucus to 25 MLAs, down from the 44 seats the party won in the October 2024 provincial election. Some of those losses occurred before Findlay became leader.

Global News reported Hepner was the 13th MLA to leave or be removed from caucus during Findlay’s leadership.

Findlay inherited a party that had already experienced months of infighting under Rustad.

The BC Conservatives came within three seats of forming government in 2024, winning 44 seats and replacing BC United as the province’s main centre-right party.

However, the caucus soon became divided over leadership, social issues and the party’s direction. Five MLAs left or were removed during 2025, including Dallas Brodie, Tara Armstrong, Jordan Kealy, Elenore Sturko and Amelia Boultbee.

In December 2025, 20 Conservative MLAs signed a letter calling on Rustad to resign. The party’s board attempted to remove him and installed Halford as interim leader, but Rustad initially disputed the decision before stepping down the following day.

Findlay, a former federal Conservative cabinet minister, was elected as Rustad’s permanent replacement on May 30th. She defeated Caroline Elliott on the fourth ballot with 51% of the weighted vote.

The narrow result exposed an ideological divide within the party. During her acceptance speech, Findlay promised to reunite the caucus and described the Conservatives as a big-tent party.

Between mid-August and early September, nine MLAs left the Conservative caucus, including Peter Milobar, Ian Paton, Rosalyn Bird, Teresa Wat, Brennan Day, Bruce Banman, Áʼaíya Warbus, Donegal Wilson and Scott McInnis.

The departing MLAs raised differing concerns, including Findlay’s leadership style, communication with caucus and the party’s direction on Indigenous and social policies.

Several of those MLAs later joined CentreBC, with Milobar becoming its leader. The party now has eight MLAs and has positioned itself as a centre-right alternative to both the BC Conservatives and the NDP.

The turmoil also spread to Findlay’s senior team with Chief of staff Chris Delaney resigning, while party official Apollo Chung was fired after the release of a disputed recording that appeared to capture him discussing the possibility of personally benefiting from party fundraising.

Chung said the recording had been altered.

Former Conservative MLA Ian Paton also alleged that he was offered a paid party position if he resigned his seat, which would have allowed Findlay to run in a by-election.

Paton said he was interviewed by the RCMP about the allegation. Findlay and the party denied any wrongdoing and described the claim as baseless. No charges have been announced.

Abbotsford-Mission MLA Reann Gaspar ultimately resigned her seat in August and was subsequently appointed Findlay’s chief of staff. A by-election was called for September 26th, with Findlay running as the Conservative candidate.

More controversy followed last week when CHEK News reported that a former party official had allegedly hired a private investigator to gather information about 14 people, including current and former MLAs, former staff members, political financier Chip Wilson and CHEK political correspondent Rob Shaw.

Findlay told reporters she knew nothing about the alleged investigation.

On September 16th, Rattée publicly criticized Findlay for allegedly missing caucus meetings, failing to return calls and leaving MLAs without a clear plan for a possible fall election.

“We were unified when she started and now we are deeply divided,” Rattée wrote in a public statement.

Two days later, Findlay removed Rattée, Rustad and Halford from caucus. All three disputed the decision, with Rattée arguing that Findlay did not have the authority to remove elected caucus members.

Findlay initially insisted she would remain leader, telling reporters on Thursday that she was “not going anywhere.”

Three days later, she resigned.

Findlay said Sunday that she still believes the Conservatives need to challenge the NDP on affordability, housing, health care, public safety and the provincial economy.

“The battle for Conservatives should not be with other Conservatives,” she wrote.

“It must be with the NDP.”

Findlay said she intends to remain the BC Conservative candidate in the Abbotsford-Mission by-election.

The party has not yet announced who will serve as interim leader or how it will select Findlay’s permanent replacement. Heather Maahs currently serves as leader of the Official Opposition in the legislature because Findlay does not hold a seat.