Findlay refuses to quit as B.C. Conservative turmoil deepens

B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay says she will not resign despite a wave of defections and increasingly public criticism from within her remaining caucus. Speaking Thursday at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention in Vancouver, Findlay said she was “not going anywhere” and argued that the approximately 27,000 party members who elected her in May had given her a mandate to lead the party through its current crisis.

Nine MLAs have left the Conservative caucus since Findlay became leader, reducing the party from the 44 seats it won in 2024 to 28. Findlay acknowledged responsibility for the departures but characterized the turmoil as growing pains inside a young political organization. She also said she has spoken with former caucus members about returning, warning that those conversations must happen quickly because the province may be heading toward an early election.

The pressure comes as Findlay campaigns in the Sept. 26 Abbotsford–Mission byelection, which she must win to secure a seat in the legislature. Premier David Eby has told his caucus and Elections BC to be prepared for a possible election, although he has not announced one. The Conservatives have responded with an emergency fundraising campaign, leaving Findlay’s byelection performance—and her ability to reunite the fractured opposition—as immediate tests of her leadership.