On Sunday morning, Linda Hepner resigned from the B.C. Conservative caucus, becoming the 13th MLA to exit the party since Kerry-Lynne Findlay became leader in late May. In the afternoon, Findlay resigned. By evening, Lorne Doerkson was appointed interim leader.
For B.C. Conservatives, the political landscape has been as fluid and fraught as white water rapids under Findlay’s leadership. Her tenure has been a miserable storm of firings, controversial hirings, allegations of wrongdoing and corruption, an RCMP probe, a private investigator, leaked damaging audio recordings, and more. It led to caucus disintegration that has battered the party brand and shattered the professional credibility of MLAs and grassroots members alike.
Last Friday, Findlay expelled her predecessor John Rustad, former interim leader Trevor Halford and Claire Rattée, the MLA for Skeena. They joined nine other MLAs who had already left the party voluntarily since mid-August.
Rattée published a letter on her Substack last Wednesday, before her expulsion from caucus, outlining her frustrations and concerns about the direction of the party under Findlay’s leadership.
“This has nothing to do with a disagreement over policy,” Rattée wrote. Rather, she cited unanswered calls, missed meetings, and inadequate explanations of staffing decisions. She wanted colleagues consulted and preparations explained. These are justified complaints about professionalism and organizational practice, not rebuttals of the party’s policy platform. Rattee and Halford both refused to leave caucus, saying Findlay did not have the authority to kick them out.
Linda Hepner specifically cited the expulsions of Rustad, Rattée, and Halford as reasons for leaving the party on Sunday and at least 12 Conservative MLAs signed a letter to the party executive calling for Doerkson to be appointed interim leader of caucus. Late Sunday night, the party announced it had accepted the recommendation.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the B.C. NDP is currently preparing for a snap election.
In a few short months, the provincial Conservatives have, like their federal cousins, gone from presenting like a government-in-waiting to a floundering opposition party with a controversial leader and an uncertain future. The B.C. NDP has no Mark Carney to swoop in, replace David Eby, and save the day. Instead, the NDP government has simply had to sit back and let the BC Conservatives implode and discredit themselves, regardless of how attractive voters might find their policies.
The good news is, with Findlay out, the BC Conservatives have a chance for another fresh start.
Voters are hungry for change, but don’t see a party they can support
After almost a decade of NDP government, voters are hungry for a change.
British Columbians are eager for tough-on-crime politics, protections for private property, and policies that open up the economy and dig provincial finances out of its debt-burdened state. A survey conducted from September 8 to 15 by the Angus Reid Institute found that half of respondents want a new government. Yet half also indicated that they had no party they could enthusiastically support.
If the BC Conservatives can quickly correct course, there are no shortage of issues they could be dominating right now.
A Research Co. poll found that 80 per cent of respondents want faster deportation of non-citizens charged with or convicted of extortion or firearms-related offences. The province has been plagued by extortion involving foreign gangs targeting small businesses in places like Surrey, and B.C. can increase resources to combat it through policing, prosecution, and cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
A 2024 Research Co. poll also found that 87 per cent of respondents backed an increased police presence on the streets and stricter bail rules intended to keep repeat offenders in custody while awaiting trial. Eighty-six per cent supported harsher penalties for people charged with multiple offences.
Stronger law enforcement is popular across party lines, and the BC Conservatives have been the most vocal in pledging action on that front.
Another issue that Conservative politicians are aligned with a majority of voters on is the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), specifically, repealing it. An Angus Reid survey from April suggested that 53 per cent of people believe that DRIPA goes too far in limiting the province’s authority. Forty-seven per cent of respondents supported repealing the Act, including 26 percent of NDP voters. 33 per cent opposed repeal.
A recent survey by Abacus, commissioned by Public Land Use Society, revealed deep concerns with the BC NDP government’s handing of the ‘reconciliation’ file. A majority of those surveyed want greater transparency in government’s negotiations with Indigenous communities and believe public land should be managed for the benefit of all Canadians equally. Most respondents do not want shared decision-making over public land use, with 70 per cent saying authority over public land and natural resources should be determined via a mandate through democratic elections.
Meanwhile, Research Co.’s May survey found that 64 per cent of respondents wanted more resources devoted to speeding up permits and reducing bureaucracy. Asked how to address the provincial deficit, 45 per cent preferred program cuts.
All to say, the political climate is ripe for a spell of right-of-centre governance. The question is whether the B.C. Conservatives can now rise above the internal feuding and move past the fallout from Findlay’s time as leader to take full advantage.
Projecting normality and competence could go a long way with voters
It is not clear what is too far to the right about the party—pushing for tougher law enforcement, health care reform and fiscal reform remain central to the BC Conservative platform. Perhaps it was not so much about the core policies as the presentation and the chaos that ensued during Findlay’s reign. Findlay’s messaging and leadership style bore too much resemblance to U.S. President Donald Trump. Surveys show the vast majority of Canadians are repelled not just by Trump, but also the destructive policies he has unleashed on generations-spanning allies, including Canada.
Professional conduct goes a long way toward effectively communicating policy. No doubt, the BC Conservative platform would be received far more positively by British Columbians if it were delivered by a leader and a party that exuded normality, confidence, and competence.
Already, that appears to be taking place. As of Monday morning, mere hours after interim leader Lorne Doerkson was voted interim leader by his caucus and the party, he invited John Rustad to rejoin the Conservative party.
Voters have every right to assess a leader’s character alongside their policies, and those judgments may ultimately determine whether the NDP receives another four years in government.
Now it remains to be seen if Findlay’s successor can meet that challenge.