Five former B.C. Conservative legislature members, including Rosalyn Bird, Bruce Banman, and A'a:liya Warbus, have joined a new party formed by Peter Milobar and Ian Paton. The new party, which has yet to be named, aims to offer an alternative to the governing NDP. According to the statement from the former Conservative members, they plan to hold a leadership vote before the legislature resumes on October 5 and will sit with official third-party status in the legislature. The new party is seen as a rival to the B.C. Greens, who currently hold two seats as the third party.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Five ex-B.C. Conservative legislators, including Rosalyn Bird, Bruce Banman, and A'a'liya Warbus, have joined a newly formed party in British Columbia, aiming to offer a "stable, serious alternative" to the governing NDP. This move comes after nine legislators quit the B.C. Conservatives over the past three weeks, citing ideological and strategic differences with Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay. The defectors, who also include Peter Milobar and Ian Paton, plan to hold a leadership vote before the legislature resumes on October 5. They intend to sit with official third-party status. This party formation has been met with "overwhelming support" from across the province, according to Milobar, who said that the appetite for the new party is "undeniable."
Written for “B.C. Conservative Party Infighting” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.55, but none of the 3 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 3681: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-04
Five legislators who quit the B.C. Conservatives will be part of a new party that aims to offer a “stable, serious alternative” to the governing NDP, after weeks of upheaval in the official Opposition.
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that → quit → Opposition
Rosalyn Bird, Bruce Banman and A’a:liya Warbus said Friday in a joint statement that they’re joining the yet-to-be-named party being formed by Peter Milobar and Ian Paton.
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they → say → Milobar
They are all among nine legislators to have quit the Conservative caucus over the past three weeks, citing ideological and strategic differences with Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
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They → quit → Findlay
“The support we’ve seen from across the province has been overwhelming, and people are stepping up to help us bring this party to life in a very short time,” interim leader Milobar said in the statement.
“The appetite for it is undeniable.”
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appetite → see → it
The B.C. Conservatives referred a request for comment to Findlay’s by-election campaign in the Abbotsford-Mission riding, which did not immediately respond.
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which → refer → riding
The legislators’ statement said the new party is to hold a leadership vote before the legislature resumes Oct. 5.
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legislature → say → vote
It said the party plans to sit with official third-party status.
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party → say → status
In the statement, Warbus said people who oppose the governing New Democrats must focus on defeating Premier David Eby’s government in the next election.
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who → say → election
“We have, at most, two years to be election-ready to defeat the NDP, and joining Peter and Ian is a commitment to making sure voters have a strong alternative when that election comes,” she said.
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she → have → alternative
“There’s no time to waste – Peter and Ian have been moving forward at full-steam ahead and I’m ready to get to work alongside them.”
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I → ’ → them
Banman, meanwhile, said he hopes the new party will provide right-of-centre voters with a choice other than the B.C. Conservatives.
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party → say → Conservatives
“British Columbians want options, and we intend to give them a strong one,” he said.
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he → want → one
Emily Lowan, the leader of the B.C. Green Party that is currently the third party in the legislature with two seats, shrugged off the new party in a statement Friday.
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that → shrug → statement
“I’m less concerned about the drama the Conservatives and their offshoots are creating and more concerned that they’re a distraction from the urgent needs British Columbians are facing from an out-of-control affordability and climate crisis,” she said.
There has been a recent exodus of legislators from the Conservative caucus under Findlay, who won the leadership in a narrow vote in May.
Scott McInnis and Donegal Wilson were the latest to depart on Wednesday.
uncertain
McInnis → ’m → Wednesday
