The B.C. Conservatives came within three ridings of victory in the 2024 provincial election, winning 44 seats.
But since then, the party’s caucus has been thinned to 30, amid differences over its ideology, and questions about its direction under both former leader John Rustad and new leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
Here are the 14 legislators who have exited the party, and why.
Dallas Brodie, Jordan Kealy and Tara Armstrong
Brodie (Vancouver-Quilchena) is thrown out of the caucus by Rustad on March 7, 2025, over remarks that Rustad says mocked residential school survivors.
Armstrong (Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream) and Kealy (Peace River North) follow later that day, in sympathy with Brodie.
Armstrong briefly joins Brodie as a member of the new OneBC party before they split. Because OneBC lacks official party status, both now sit as Independents, as does Kealy, who was charged with sexual assault this year. He denies the accusation.
Elenore Sturko
Sturko (Surrey-Cloverdale), a former RCMP officer, was a star recruit for Rustad’s Conservatives when she left BC United in June 2024, ahead of the election. But he fires her from caucus on Sept. 23, 2025.
She says Rustad accuses her of plotting against his leadership, a charge she denies. Sturko now sits as an Independent.
Amelia Boultbee
Boultbee (Penticton-Summerland) resigns from the Conservative caucus on Oct. 20, 2025, accusing Rustad of telling her to “get the F out.” Rustad questions her health and state of mind.
She sits as an Independent before joining the NDP caucus on July 3, 2026, saying that the Conservatives have swung toward “Trump-style populism” under new leader Findlay, who succeeded Rustad in May.
Hon Chan
Chan (Richmond Centre) is removed from the Conservative caucus on March 26, 2026, by interim leader Trevor Halford, after Chan is charged with assault, assault by choking and uttering threats in a case of alleged intimate partner violence.
Get daily National news
Chan, now sitting as an Independent, says he disagrees with the allegations dating back to 2024, and plans to defend himself in court.
Peter Milobar
Milobar (Kamloops Centre) quits the caucus on Aug. 14, citing a lack of “ideological alignment” with 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.
Reann Gasper
Gasper (Abbotsford-Mission) resigns her seat on Aug. 22 so Findlay can run in a byelection.
Gasper is appointed Findlay’s deputy chief of staff.
Ian Paton
Paton (Delta South) quits the party on Aug. 24, saying the Conservatives’ direction under Findlay no longer aligns with his beliefs and he intends to form a new party with Milobar.
Milobar says at the announcement that he and Paton could be a party of two, but suggests there could be more defections.
Rosalyn Bird
Bird (Prince George-Valemount) quits the Conservatives on Aug. 25. She says she will sit as an Independent, issuing a statement warning about divisive 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.”
Teresa Wat
Wat (Richmond-Bridgeport) resigns from the party to sit as an Independent on Aug. 26.
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.
Wat says she cannot remain in a party whose leader has questioned her loyalty to Canada, while Findlay says Wat’s departure is a “betrayal of the hardworking volunteers, campaign workers and voters who helped get her elected.”
Brennan Day
Day (Courtenay-Comox) exits later on Aug. 26, saying he no longer supports the direction of the party under 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. He says he will sit as an “Independent Conservative.”
Bruce Banman
Banman (Abbotsford South) quits to sit as an Independent on Aug. 27, rallying other Conservatives to join him “regardless of political affiliation.”
He says many have told him Findlay is “unelectable,” and that under her another election win by the NDP is becoming increasingly likely.
Banman gave the B.C. Conservatives official party status in the legislature in 2023 when he crossed the floor to join Rustad, in a key moment on the party’s path to becoming the official Opposition.
A’a:liya Warbus
Warbus (Chilliwack-Cultus Lake) announces on Monday she has lost faith in Findlay’s leadership, citing the sudden cancellation of a caucus meeting and the circumstances surrounding the resignation from the legislature of Gasper to make way for Findlay to stand in a byelection.
Warbus, who will sit as an Independent, says the departures last week were an “implosion” and there has been a “critical breakdown” of communication under Findlay.
Oh so you mean FN A’a:liya Warbus is a Fascist too!!
Hahahaha
Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound.
“Me
August 31, 2026 at 8:06 pm
Point the finger at the Conservative Party members who keep voting the far right morons in! Will never win a majority if they keep doing this. Centre-right is the only way to go these days. Hope the “independents” figure this simple plan out and build a party around it.”
Center-right in BC is just a fantasy coming from a bunch of racist white Christians that want control of the government but they don’t want to be labeled as far-right MAGA NAZlS which is exactly what they are
Me,
Well stated.
Interesting point from Anonymous
“Most of these people were Liberals trying to continue the taxpayer funded gravitating”
KFL’s partner wasn’t going to step down, they would rather double dip on the taxpayer.
BTW when will these far right conservatives wake up to the fact the BC Liberal’s are more conservative than Liberal but they’re blind to the fact. KFL and her followers are handing the ndp another 4 years to ruin BC
At this rate, It won’t be long before Kerry leaves the party and I hope she does. her comment during her acceptance speech was stupid. She said, In our national anthem, we cry out to God. Well there ain’t no god. Now what.
“Point the finger at the Conservative Party members who keep voting the far right morons in! Will never win a majority if they keep doing this. Centre-right is the only way to go these days. Hope the “independents” figure this simple plan out and build a party around it.””
100% Agreed
Well that pretty well stops any hope to defeat the communist NDPee’ers
B.C. Conservative caucus is down to 30. Here’s how it lost 14 members….
Fascism.
Most of these people were Liberals trying to continue the taxpayer funded gravitating. They care more for their own well being than the political policies they claim to fight for
Point the finger at the Conservative Party members who keep voting the far right morons in! Will never win a majority if they keep doing this. Centre-right is the only way to go these days. Hope the “independents” figure this simple plan out and build a party around it.
Being in the same direction as MAGA ideology is not healthy these days. Only those with mental issues keep it going to a cult like level.
An alleged sex offender,a wife beater,a mental case and a CCP sympathizer.
Ya, they are all Liberals
First off, Keary-Lynn Findlay was the only true Conservative running for the leadership…the rest were re-gurgitated Liberals
Second, the caucus voted her in!!
Why are you complaining now??