Reann Gasper steps down to clear path for B.C. Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay

ABBOTSFORD — Abbotsford-Mission MLA Reann Gasper has stepped down from the B.C. legislature, clearing the way for Conservative Party of B.C. Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay to seek the party’s nomination and run in a forthcoming byelection. Gasper, who had also served as the Conservative caucus’s deputy whip, informed the Speaker of her decision after representing the Fraser Valley riding since the 2024 provincial election.

Gasper said she made the decision after careful consideration and stressed that she was not asked to surrender the seat. In a statement announcing her departure, she said she believed the broader objective of defeating the governing NDP and forming government should take priority over her own position. Gasper also endorsed Findlay’s leadership and said she intends to help the Conservative leader win the riding.

The move provides Findlay with a route into the Legislative Assembly less than three months after she was elected leader of the B.C. Conservatives. Findlay defeated Caroline Elliott on the fourth and final ballot of the party’s May 30 leadership contest, winning 51 per cent of the weighted points to Elliott’s 49 per cent. The former federal Conservative MP and cabinet minister has led the provincial party without holding a seat in the legislature since taking over the leadership.

Abbotsford-Mission provides the Conservatives with what would appear to be a favourable opportunity to get their leader elected. Gasper won the riding in the 2024 provincial election with 13,523 votes, or 55.38 per cent, defeating incumbent NDP MLA and former agriculture minister Pam Alexis, who received 10,894 votes. Gasper’s margin of victory was 2,629 votes, or nearly 11 percentage points, as the Conservatives swept all three Abbotsford-area ridings.

Findlay thanked Gasper for what she called a selfless and generous decision. The party has said Gasper will remain involved with the Conservatives, moving into a leadership role as deputy chief of staff, while Misty Van Popta takes over her former deputy whip responsibilities.

The vacancy sets up an important early electoral test for Findlay as she attempts to consolidate her leadership of the Official Opposition. The party has experienced considerable internal change since her May victory, including the departures of MLAs Peter Milobar and Ian Paton, who announced plans this week to create a new provincial party. Gasper’s decision, by contrast, gives Findlay the opportunity to enter the legislature and directly face Premier David Eby and the NDP when the house is sitting.

No date has yet been announced for the Abbotsford-Mission byelection. Under British Columbia’s Constitution Act, a writ for a provincial byelection must generally be issued within six months after the Chief Electoral Officer receives formal notice of the vacancy.