The leader of a new party in British Columbia said there was a “clear appetite” for its brand of right-of-centre politics, after Teresa Wat became the sixth former B.C. Conservative to join.
Fellow Conservative defector Peter Milobar, the interim leader of the still-unnamed party, said Wat’s decision on Friday showed there was momentum behind the new outfit, which will have the third-largest caucus in the provincial legislature after the NDP and the Conservatives when sitting resumes next month.
“Our team is growing, because there is a clear appetite for a serious alternative to the NDP,” he said in a statement.
“British Columbians are tired of out-of-control spending and a government who is responsible for the decline of so many sectors in our province.”
The new party’s members are all among nine legislators who have quit the provincial Conservatives in recent weeks, citing a range of concerns about party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
Milobar, a former Conservative leadership candidate, was the first to leave last month, followed by Ian Paton. They announced they would form a new party that grew last week to include Rosalyn Bird, Bruce Banman and A’a:liya Warbus.
Richmond-area MLA Wat said in a statement she joined because she believes the new party can unite people and unseat the governing New Democrats.
“British Columbians want a strong, credible alternative to the NDP that is focused on affordability, competent government,” she said in her statement.
Wat’s move comes ahead of a Sept. 26 byelection that will determine whether Findlay will have a seat in the legislature as the MLA for Abbotsford-Mission.
Wat did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Richmond legislator announced her decision to leave the Conservatives on Aug. 26.
Wat said at the time that Findlay failed to apologize over “serious and unfounded accusations” that questioned allegiance to Canada. Remarks attributed to Findlay called Wat “CCP,” a reference to the Chinese Communist Party.
Findlay later said she had a private conversation with Wat and apologized directly.
The leader’s statement also called Wat’s decision to leave the caucus a “betrayal of the hardworking volunteers, campaign workers and voters,” who helped her get elected as a Conservative in 2024.
Wat was first elected to the legislature as a member of the BC Liberals in 2013.
Some of Findlay’s critics have said she is driving the Conservatives further to the right after her narrow win in the leadership ballot in May.
Banman has called Findlay “unelectable” and has been scathing about the direction of the party, calling out those around Findlay for creating a “purity test” of whether MLAs are “hard right enough.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2026.
By Wolfgang Depner | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.