Kerry-Lynne Findlay Resigns as BC Conservative Leader Amid Turmoil

Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned as leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia on September 20, 2026, after 113 days in office. Her departure followed months of internal instability, including the loss of 14 MLAs since August and the expulsion of former leader John Rustad, former interim leader Trevor Halford, and MLA Claire Rattée. The crisis peaked when MLA Linda Hepner resigned from the caucus, citing a lack of confidence in Findlay's leadership and criticizing the use of a private investigator to monitor party critics.

Following the resignation, the party board appointed MLA Lorne Doerkson as interim leader. Doerkson immediately moved to unify the party by restoring five legislators to the caucus, including Rustad and Halford. Despite stepping down from the leadership, Findlay will remain the party's candidate in the Abbotsford-Mission by-election scheduled for September 26.

The leadership collapse occurs as speculation grows that Premier David Eby may call a snap provincial election as early as September 23. In response to the unstable political environment, John Rustad indicated that high-level talks to merge the Conservatives with the CentreBC party, now led by Peter Milobar, have a 95 per cent chance of success to avoid splitting the opposition vote.