B.C. Conservatives losing MLAs by the day as Findlay's leadership crumbles

The B.C. Conservative caucus is hemorrhaging members. Bruce Banman, the Abbotsford South MLA who was among the party's founding figures in 2023, walked away Thursday, becoming the sixth MLA to leave in under two weeks.

"Person after person has informed me they have decided that our new leader is unelectable," Banman said in a statement, citing conversations with constituents who believe Premier-in-waiting Kerry-Lynne Findlay cannot win the next election.

The party has collapsed from 44 MLAs elected in 2024 to 31 today. The exodus has accelerated since Findlay took over as leader in May, replacing founding member John Rustad. Internal phone calls paint a picture of chaos: MLAs fielding hours of calls while on vacation, learning about the latest departure from social media, and wrestling with whether to stay or bail.

For those considering jumping ship, the choice is stark. "You've got three choices. Go now, go later, or go down with the ship," one former staffer told Postmedia. "That's your choices, but she can't win an election."

Findlay has also fired key staff, including operations director Apollo Chung on Wednesday with no stated reason. Most of the party's executive, including president Aisha Estey and executive director Angelo Isidorou, has quit in the past month.

Beyond the caucus, business leaders and political strategists are already plotting a post-Findlay future. On Wednesday afternoon, 60 people met in a downtown Vancouver White Spot basement—standing room only—to discuss whether to form a new centre-right party or somehow prop up the Conservatives. Jordan Bateman of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of B.C. noted the party's financial collapse: donations have plummeted to a few hundred dollars a week while expenses run tens of thousands monthly, many determined by the leader's decisions.

Kristina Loewen, the Conservative MLA for Kelowna Centre who remains in caucus, is urging colleagues to stay the course. "Our policies and platform are still the same, and we're still setting out to do the same thing," she said, insisting the Conservatives remain the only party positioned to defeat the NDP in the next election.

The Conservative Party constitution allows a leader to be removed only by resignation, death, incapacitation, or a leadership review vote falling below 50 per cent. A source close to the party told Postmedia that Findlay is likely to remain leader unless she loses the upcoming Abbotsford-Mission byelection—but added it's looking increasingly likely the party will splinter or she will depart regardless.