Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned as the leader of British Columbia’s Conservatives on Sunday, bringing to a close her brief tenure marked by infighting, firings, expulsions from the party caucus and a string of defections by sitting legislators.
Findlay said she would remain the party’s candidate in the Sept. 26 byelection in Abbotsford-Mission as she aims to secure a seat on the legislature.
Here is what Findlay and some legislators are saying about the move:
Kerry-Lynne Findlay
“Energy that should have been directed toward challenging the NDP, advancing our principles, and preparing to form government has instead been spent infighting amongst ourselves,” Findlay said in her resignation statement.
“Public life requires a thick skin. I have spent much of my career in positions of public trust, and I understand that criticism comes with the territory.
But attacks on someone’s character and family, and threats directed toward them, cross a line that should concern all of us, regardless of our politics.”
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John Rustad, former Conservative leader and MLA for Nechako Lakes, who said the next interim Conservative leader wouldn’t have to be a sitting legislator
“It just has to be somebody who can pull this party together … and who can show the province a vision for a prosperous British Columbia, a vision for how we can address the serious issues that the NDP has thrust upon the people in this province. People want change. We are going to deliver that for them,” Rustad told reporters.
Claire Rattée, Independent MLA for Skeena, who was among three legislators ejected from the Conservative caucus under Findlay on Friday
“(Sunday’s) leadership change gives our MLAs the opportunity to come together, chart a clear path forward and a build a unified, credible government-in-waiting capable of defeating (Premier) David Eby,” Rattée said in a statement.
“No part of the conservative movement can be excluded from this work. Our movement includes people with a wide range of views who have supported different leaders. We must now put the past behind us and operate according to one simple principle: if you want to defeat David Eby and build a better British Columbia, you are welcome on this team.”
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Sheldon Clare, Conservative MLA for Prince George and Opposition house leader
“I believe that when we were elected we came with enthusiasm, passion, energy, and impatience to fix things. When that ability to effect change wasn’t available, some individuals sought to accelerate change and others to work to support their own interests,” Clare said in a text message to the Canadian Press.
“The party is still a strong and viable entity … We are the best poised means of defeating the NDP and forming a responsible government.”
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Gavin Dew, Conservative MLA for Kelowna-Mission
“(Findlay) won the leadership with the support of grassroots conservative members, and we owe it to them to do everything in our power to defeat David Eby,” Dew said in a text message to The Canadian Press.
“If he calls a cynical snap election he’s doing it for himself, not for British Columbians. We will defeat him, undo the damage he has done, and restore hope.”
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Dallas Brodie, Independent MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, who was thrown out of the Conservative caucus in 2025 over remarks then-leader John Rustad said mocked residential school survivors
“(Findlay) tried her best to save the party but the knives were out from the very beginning. She was the ‘wrong winner’ and was taken down in a most savage and vindictive attack,” said Brodie, who sits as an Independent while serving as interim leader of OneBC, which lacks official party status in the legislature.
“OneBC is the home of the grassroots movement that is sick to death of the corrupt games of those driving B.C. into the ground.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2026.
By Canadian Press Staff | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.