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· collected 2026-09-04 · by The Canadian Press
Kerry-Lynne Findlay, leader of the B.C. Conservatives, has faced a series of high-profile defections from her party in recent weeks. Nine legislators have quit or been expelled since former finance critic Peter Milobar left the caucus three weeks ago. The key figures to defect include Reann Gasper, Ian Paton, Rosalyn Bird, Teresa Wat, and Brennan Day, among others. The article suggests that Findlay's leadership style and ideology are at the root of the party's turmoil, with some critics accusing her of being unelectable and making unfounded accusations against other legislators.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
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.
The B.C. Conservatives have been in a state of upheaval since former finance critic Peter Milobar quit the official Opposition caucus three weeks ago.
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Milobar → quit → caucus
The party has since suffered a parade of defections from legislators citing differences with Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay of strategy and ideology.
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party → suffer → strategy
Here’s a timeline of the turmoil.
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timeline → ’ → turmoil
Milobar (Kamloops Centre) quits the caucus, citing a lack of “ideological alignment” with Findlay.
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Milobar → quit → Findlay
Milobar, a former leadership contender and finance critic for the Opposition, had clashed with Findlay in a debate when she accused him of having a conflict of interest because Milobar’s Indigenous wife once held paid positions with the local Indigenous band.
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wife → clash → band
Reann Gasper (Abbotsford-Mission) resigns her seat so Findlay can run in a byelection.
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Findlay → resign → byelection
Gasper is appointed Findlay’s deputy chief of staff.
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Gasper → appoint → staff
Ian Paton (Delta South) quits the party, saying the Conservatives’ direction under Findlay no longer aligns with his beliefs and he intends to form a new party with Milobar.
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he → quit → Milobar
Milobar says at the announcement that he and Paton could be a party of two, but suggests there could be more defections.
uncertain
he → say → two
Rosalyn Bird (Prince George-Valemount) quits the Conservatives to sit as an Independent, issuing a statement warning about divisive leadership.
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Bird → quit → leadership
She says legislators “should be able to firmly reject racism, antisemitism, homophobia and hatred while still having difficult and necessary conversations about immigration, Indigenous reconciliation, addiction, crime, gender, religion and the many other issues on which reasonable people sometimes disagree.”
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people → say → which
Teresa Wat (Richmond-Bridgeport) resigns to sit as an Independent on Aug. 26.
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Wat → resign → Aug.
She accuses Findlay of reneging on a promise to apologize over “serious and unfounded accusations” reportedly made by Findlay about Wat, calling her “CCP,” a reference to the Chinese Communist Party.
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She → accuse → Party
Findlay calls Wat’s departure is a “betrayal of the hardworking volunteers, campaign workers and voters who helped get her elected.”
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her → call → volunteers
The same day, Brennan Day (Courtenay-Comox) quits the caucus, saying he no longer supports the direction of the party under Findlay.
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he → quit → Findlay
Day says he has lost confidence in the judgment, conduct and ethical standards of Findlay’s leadership and the people she surrounds herself with.
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she → say → herself
Bruce Banman (Abbotsford South) quits and rallies other Conservatives to join him “regardless of political affiliation.”
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Banman → quit → affiliation
He says many have told him Findlay is “unelectable,” and that under her another election win by the NDP is becoming increasingly likely.
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win → say → NDP
Findlay says suggestions that a recording shows she illegally offered jobs to legislators, in exchange for resigning so she could stand in a byelection, are “preposterous.”
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she → say → byelection
Police say they were aware of the purported recording of Findlay addressing Conservative legislators that was released on social media on Thursday.
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that → say → Thursday
Findlay later announces a caucus meeting to be followed by a news conference on Aug. 31.
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Findlay → announce → Aug.
Aug. 29: Premier David Eby calls a byelection in Abbotsford-Mission, with voting day set for Saturday, Sept. 26.
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day → call → Saturday
Findlay cancels the caucus meeting and news conference.
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Findlay → cancel → meeting
Liya Warbus (Chilliwack-Cultus Lake) quits the caucus, saying she has lost faith in Findlay’s leadership, citing the sudden cancellation of the caucus meeting and the circumstances surrounding the resignation from the legislature of Gasper to make way for Findlay to stand in a byelection.
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Findlay → quit → byelection
Paton says he has been asked to speak to the RCMP.
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he → say → RCMP
He says he expects to be asked about his allegation that Findlay’s chief of staff, Chris Delaney, had said that if he stepped down as an MLA so Findlay could run in a byelection, he could be given a position as an adviser at the same salary.
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he → say → salary
Legislators Donegal Wilson (Boundary-Similkameen) and Scott McInnis (Columbia River-Revelstoke) quit caucus, both citing Findlay’s reported connections to Alberta separatists as part of a series of concerns.
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both → quit → concerns
Their departures reduce the Conservative caucus to 28; it had had 44 members after the 2024 election.
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it → reduce → election
Findlay announces that Delaney has resigned as her chief of staff, and she has appointed Gasper to replace him.
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she → announce → him
Findlay says she is the victim of a “co-ordinated political attack.”
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she → say → attack
Sept. 4: Rosalyn Bird, Bruce Banman and A’a:liya Warbus say in a joint statement that they’re joining the yet-to-be-named party being formed by Milobar and Paton.
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they → say → Milobar
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 04, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
