Surrey Conservative MLA Hepner says she will give Findlay time to address party turmoil

Surrey-Serpentine River Conservative MLA and former Surrey mayor Linda Hepner says she will give party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay time to address turmoil following the recent departure of MLAs from the caucus.

Hepner told the Now-Leader on Sept. 3 that she is conducting her own due diligence and is not prepared to leave the party at this point. She said Findlay was duly elected leader and should have an opportunity to see where the Sept. 26 Abbotsford-Mission byelection takes her.

Findlay is seeking her own election win in that byelection. Surrey-Panorama Conservative MLA Bryan Tepper said the Conservatives have a strong party and brand and that abandoning it would not be a smart course of action.

Surrey Conservative MLAs Mandeep Dhaliwal, Trevor Halford and Brent Chapman did not respond to requests for comment. Independent Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko, who was removed from the Conservative caucus by former leader John Rustad in 2025, said it was not surprising to see former colleagues leave under Findlay’s leadership. She cited what she described as connections to Alberta’s separatist movement and the dismissal of moderate staff voices.