B.C. Conservative Leader Findlay denies purging party

VANCOUVER – B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay has denied purging the party or making changes in her platform that are to blame for recent defections of legislators.

Findlay, who has held her first news conference with members of her shadow cabinet, says she hasn’t fired anyone and executives who left — who include former executive director Angelo Isidorou and ex-president Aisha Estey, “either left voluntarily or they were moved out by the board of the party.”

She says she “wasn’t even part” of discussions and was only told of “mutual” departures later.

Findlay’s news conference in Vancouver came a day after long-serving Delta South legislator Ian Paton announced he was quitting the caucus to represent a new party he’s forming with another Conservative defector, Peter Milobar, who left the party earlier this month.

She says she hasn’t changed her platform since winning the leadership and that some may have made decisions based on “wanting to be the leader, or not liking the choice of the membership.”

That’s an apparent shot at Milobar who was among the unsuccessful candidates for the leadership.

Findlay also criticized Premier David Eby for missing a debriefing by Prime Minister Carney about the U.S. trade war.

She says Eby painted himself into a corner by insisting that U.S. liquor would not return to B.C. shelves, saying this wasn’t “prudent or intelligent negotiating.”

Also at the news conference were Conservative caucus chair and government services critic Judy Toor, as well as infrastructure critic Misty Van Popta, and culture critic Brent Chapman, who is Findlay’s husband.

Opposition whip Macklin McCall was also there, as well as Reann Gasper, who has stepped aside as legislator for Abbotsford-Mission so Findlay can run for that riding.

Gasper will take a paid post as Findlay’s deputy chief of staff.

Both Paton and Milobar have attributed their exits from the caucus on misalignment with the party’s direction under Findlay, who says it will focus on “faith, freedom and family,” with senior members of the party’s staff being replaced.

Findlay has been pushing the party further right since narrowly winning the leadership in May. 

She took aim at the defectors, saying they had not presented an alternative to her viewpoints. 

“My vision is a vision of hope, prosperity, and optimism,” she said.

“I find it hard to believe anyone could argue with that vision. But if they do, what is their alternative to hope, prosperity, affordability, better jobs, better economics in this province? I’m going to be very interested to hear, because they have not articulated it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2026.