Timeline: nine defections from B.C. Conservatives in three weeks

The B.C. Conservatives have been in upheaval since former finance critic Peter Milobar left the official Opposition caucus three weeks ago. Nine legislators have since departed, with several citing differences with Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay over strategy and ideology.

Aug. 14: Milobar, the MLA for Kamloops Centre, left caucus, citing a lack of “ideological alignment” with Findlay. A former leadership contender and Opposition finance critic, Milobar had clashed with Findlay during a debate after she accused him of a conflict of interest because his Indigenous wife had previously held paid roles with the local Indigenous band.

Aug. 22: Reann Gasper resigned her Abbotsford-Mission seat to allow Findlay to run in a byelection. Gasper was appointed Findlay’s deputy chief of staff.

Aug. 24: Delta South MLA Ian Paton left the party, saying the Conservatives’ direction under Findlay no longer aligned with his beliefs. He said he intended to form a new party with Milobar. Milobar said at the announcement that the pair could be a party of two, while suggesting more defections could follow.

Aug. 25: Rosalyn Bird, the MLA for Prince George-Valemount, left the Conservatives to sit as an Independent and warned in a statement about divisive leadership. She said legislators should be able to firmly reject racism, antisemitism, homophobia and hatred while still having difficult but necessary conversations about immigration, Indigenous reconciliation, addiction, crime, gender, religion and other issues on which reasonable people sometimes disagree.

Aug. 26: Richmond-Bridgeport MLA Teresa Wat resigned to sit as an Independent. She accused Findlay of reneging on a promise to apologize for reportedly making “serious and unfounded accusations” about Wat, including calling her “CCP,” a reference to the Chinese Communist Party. Findlay described Wat’s departure as a betrayal of the volunteers, campaign workers and voters who helped elect her.

Also on Aug. 26, Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day left caucus, saying he no longer supported the party’s direction under Findlay. He said he had lost confidence in the judgment, conduct and ethical standards of Findlay’s leadership and the people around her.

Aug. 27: Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman left and urged other Conservatives to join him regardless of political affiliation. He said many people had told him Findlay was “unelectable,” and that another NDP election win was becoming increasingly likely under her leadership.

Aug. 28: Findlay called suggestions that a recording showed her illegally offering jobs to legislators in exchange for resigning so she could run in a byelection “preposterous.” Police said they were aware of the purported recording of Findlay addressing Conservative legislators, released on social media that Thursday. Findlay later announced a caucus meeting followed by an Aug. 31 news conference.

Aug. 29: Premier David Eby called a byelection in Abbotsford-Mission, setting voting day for Saturday, Sept. 26.

Aug. 30: Findlay cancelled the caucus meeting and news conference.

Aug. 31: Chilliwack-Cultus Lake MLA A’a: Liya Warbus left caucus, saying she had lost faith in Findlay’s leadership. She cited the sudden cancellation of the caucus meeting and the circumstances surrounding Gasper’s resignation from the legislature to make way for Findlay to seek election in a byelection.

Sept. 1: Paton said the RCMP had asked to speak with him. He said he expected to be asked about his allegation that Findlay’s chief of staff, Chris Delaney, said Paton could receive an adviser position at the same salary if he stepped down as an MLA to make way for Findlay in a byelection.

Sept. 2: Boundary-Similkameen MLA Donegal Wilson and Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Scott McInnis left caucus. Both cited Findlay’s reported connections to Alberta separatists among their concerns. Their departures reduced the Conservative caucus to 28 members, down from 44 after the 2024 election.

Findlay announced that Delaney had resigned as her chief of staff and that Gasper would replace him. She said she was the victim of a “co-ordinated political attack.”

Sept. 4: Bird, Banman and A’a:liya Warbus said in a joint statement that they would join the as-yet-unnamed party being formed by Milobar and Paton.