- Less than three months after Kerry-Lynne Findlay won the party’s leadership, the B.C. Conservatives are experiencing a rapid exodus, with MLAs Teresa Wat and Brennan Day defecting on Wednesday, marking five defections over the past two weeks.
- Findlay narrowly won the Conservative leadership race in May and pledged to bring the party into line with true conservative values, but has alienated some previous BC Liberals, including Ian Paton, who announced his departure Monday flanked by Peter Milobar; the two plan to form a new, more moderate right-of-centre party.
- Rosalyn Bird resigned Tuesday, saying the party was moving too far right under Findlay’s leadership, adding, “I just got to the point where there were too many things that didn’t align with how I wanted to see things going.”
- On Wednesday, Findlay fired her director of operations, Apollo Chung, instructing her chief of staff to terminate him “effective immediately,” without citing a reason.
- Prominent business leaders in the province met Wednesday afternoon to discuss options for a viable path forward for the “free enterprise” coalition on the right in B.C. politics, as they grew increasingly frustrated with the state of the B.C. Conservatives; more defections are expected in the coming days.
- Politics professor Hamish Telford of the University of the Fraser Valley remarked, “I’ve never seen anything like it in Canadian politics—a party unravelling so quickly after a new leader takes over.”
- Brennan Day’s resignation letter cited lost confidence in the “judgment, conduct and ethical standards” of Findlay’s leadership.
- Telford said Findlay “wanted to lead a decidedly populist B.C. Conservative party,” to the chagrin of some more moderate members, adding, “I don’t think that is the recipe for success in B.C. politics.”
- Findlay responded online, noting she intended to apologize to Wat for a second time and calling Wat’s departure a betrayal of hardworking volunteers and voters.
The B.C. Conservative Party is experiencing a significant exodus, with five members, including MLAs Teresa Wat and Brennan Day, resigning in just two weeks under Kerry-Lynne Findlay's leadership.123458916
Less than three months into her tenure, the party is facing unprecedented turmoil.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in Canadian politics—a party unravelling so quickly after a new leader takes over,” said Hamish Telford, a politics professor at the University of the Fraser Valley.121415
Day's resignation letter expressed a loss of confidence in Findlay's “judgment, conduct and ethical standards.” Meanwhile, Wat's departure was prompted by alleged comments from Findlay referring to her as a member of the Chinese Communist Party, raising questions about Findlay's fitness for leadership.
“To make that kind of comment, is she fit to be the leader? Is she fit to be the premier of the province?” Wat questioned.
Findlay, who narrowly won the leadership race in May, has been criticized for steering the party too far right, alienating moderate members.67
“I just got to the point where there were too many things that didn’t align with how I wanted to see things going,” said Rosalyn Bird, another defector.
Prominent business leaders are reportedly discussing options for a new moderate right-of-centre party as frustration grows with the current state of the B.C. Conservatives.1011
More defections are anticipated in the coming days.
“Findlay fired director of operations Apollo Chung on Wednesday, effective immediately, without citing a reason. Meanwhile, business leaders met to discuss a viable path for the 'free enterprise' coalition, and Ian Paton and Peter Milobar plan to form a new moderate right-of-centre party.”
