The wave of recent defectors from the B.C. Conservative Party will ultimately have to answer to the voters who elected them, a defiant Kerry-Lynne Findlay argued Tuesday. Nine MLAs have left the Conservatives since Aug. 14, all of them citing issues with Findlay’s leadership specifically. In an exclusive interview on CTV’s Power Play with Vassy Kapelos, the embattled party head brushed off the exodus as the type of “growing pains” typical of a “newer party.” “There were at least, I believe, seven members of caucus who left under the two previous leaders, so perhaps it’s not that surprising that this would be somewhat ongoing,” Findlay said. While the B.C. Conservative Party was first formed more than 120 years ago, it languished for decades before seeing a rapid resurgence under former leader John Rustad. The party regained official status in the legislature in 2023, then came within three seats of winning control of the government the very next year. Findlay noted all of the latest defectors ran together under the Conservative platform in the province’s 2024 election. “In those seats where maybe those departing MLAs are not running under our banner again, they will have to explain what about the platform they ran under no longer suits them,” she told the Power Play host. “Because there has been no change.” Findlay suggested some of her former colleagues “simply did not accept the will” of the party’s membership, who elected her with 51 per cent support in May’s leadership race. “We have a grassroots movement backed by the people who elected these MLAs telling me, ‘Stay with us, you speak for us, we believe in you,’” she said. Concerns from within caucus have not fallen on deaf ears, Findlay added, pointing to the recent departure of her chief of staff as evidence of her willingness to make changes. “We still have the majority of our caucus in place, meeting, discussing, getting ready for the next election, getting ready for the legislative session,” she said. “These are the things that matter to the people of British Columbia, that is our focus.” No contact with RCMP over allegations, leader says Findlay’s former chief of staff Chris Delaney stepped down last week and was replaced by deputy chief of staff Reann Gasper—the MLA who resigned so the party leader could seek a seat in the legislature in an upcoming byelection. Gasper left her Abbotsford-Mission riding on Aug. 22, days before allegations emerged that Findlay had offered MLAs jobs if they would step aside. Asked if she had made such an offer to Gasper, Findlay said: “No, I did not.” “She came to me over a coffee, actually, and said that she felt moved by what we were trying to achieve for British Columbians,” the leader told Kapelos. “The discussion of her having a position came later, albeit in fairly quick succession, because of course you have to have these conversations quickly.” Audio posted by an anonymous social media account called “The Findlay Files” features a person who sounds like the Conservative leader saying if someone were willing to resign, she could “give them a role as a senior adviser in their same portfolio, so that they’re very much involved and around.” It’s illegal under the Criminal Code to negotiate a reward or benefit for resignation from political office. Findlay has previously called any suggestion that she broke the law “preposterous,” and described the comments in the recording as “normal political discussions.” Ian Paton, who is among the nine recent Conservative defectors, said he was interviewed by the RCMP last week regarding his own allegation that he was offered a job by Delaney if he agreed to vacate his seat. Findlay confirmed she has not been contacted by the RCMP. “Not at all, not whatsoever,” she told Kapelos. Some of the exiting Conservative MLAs have cited reported connections between Findlay staffers and the Alberta separatist movement as a factor in their decision to leave. Asked about those concerns Tuesday, the leader stressed that she is “absolutely a federalist,” and said she had been unaware of any such ties when hiring decisions were made. “I believe in a strong and prosperous British Columbia, within a strong and prosperous Western Canada, within a strong and prosperous nation,” she said. On whether anyone with links to the controversial movement remains on the party’s payroll, Findlay said: “Not that I’m aware of.” Voters in Abbotsford-Mission will decide whether to elect Findlay to the legislature on Sept. 26. With files from The Canadian Press
