B.C. Conservative Party Collapses Amid Alberta Separatist Ties

The B.C. Conservative Party has suffered a significant collapse, with its seat count falling from 44 in 2024 to 28. Nine MLAs resigned under the leadership of Kerry-Lynne Findlay, a decline attributed to Findlay's ties to Alberta separatists. This association included the hiring and subsequent firing of Apollo Chung, a former staffer for the Republican Party of Alberta.

Parallel instability is affecting the United Conservative Party in Alberta. Premier Danielle Smith is currently managing an internal struggle between federalists and separatists. More than half of the UCP's 17-member governing board are identified as separatists who intend to control riding nominations and potentially force a government-sponsored separation vote in the spring.

To counter this movement, Smith's allies are organizing federalists to attend the UCP party convention in Calgary from November 27 to 29. The goal of the mobilization is to remove separatist members from the central board and secure the party's federalist alignment.