Adam Zivo: New B.C. Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay has a golden opportunity

File photo: Kerry-Lynne Findlay is the new leader of the B.C. Conservative party. Credit: Stuart McNish. March 2026

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Kerry-Lynne Findlay narrowly won the B.C. Conservative leadership race this weekend, following a months-long campaign that was occasionally marred by acrimony. Having run as a “true blue” candidate, her victory ensures that the party will take a tough stance on cultural issues, but, if she is to become premier, she will need to unite a movement that remains vulnerable to factionalism. 

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This year’s leadership race was unusually competitive, featuring five strong candidates with energetic followings. Unlike government elections, the party uses a ranked ballot system wherein members list out candidates in order of preference, after which point the least popular candidates are eliminated, and their votes automatically redistributed by ranking, until someone wins a majority. 

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It took four ballot rounds for Findlay to win with 51 per cent of the redistributed vote, narrowly beating Caroline Elliott, an academic and political commentator, who received 49 per cent. 

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Peter Milobar and Ian Black, representing the centrist business wing of the party, collectively received 31 per cent of the initial vote and were eliminated first and third, respectively. Yuri Fulmer, who promised a power-sharing deal with the hard-right One BC party, was eliminated second. 

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The dynamics of the race and vote redistribution spoke volumes — mainly because it signalled a victory for establishment conservatism over centrism and millennial populism. 

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Findlay and Elliott together represented the culturally conservative wing of the party. They argued that economic policies cannot alone fix the province’s rot, and that a broader restoration of values is in order. Among other things, they criticized radical Indigenous reconciliation, gender ideology and the leftist politicization of Canadian institutions. Broadly aligned in this respect, the two women mostly differed in presentation, symbolism and perceived authenticity. 

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Findlay, who is 71-years-old, emphasized her extensive experience in federal Conservative politics and her connection to its current leader, Pierre Poilievre. Having been an MP from 2011 to 2015, and again from 2019 and 2025, she served in cabinet under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and then became Poilievre’s party whip — two roles which precluded any doubts about her ideological and establishment credibility. 

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At 39-years old, Elliott represented the insurgent “new conservatism” simmering across Canada — a movement driven by younger, populist voters focused on cultural identity, affordability and generational fairness. Critically, she was able to present her politics with an academic thoughtfulness that could appeal to moderate voters. 

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Elliott’s campaign was run by a team of experienced conservative strategists, most of whom were from outside the province. She seemingly out-fundraised her competitors by a wide margin, received glowing media coverage (including an endorsement from the National Post’s editorial board) and was generally perceived as the front-runner throughout the race.