B.C. Conservative MLAs meet — even as leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay backs out

B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay at a news conference last Tuesday. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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A small group of B.C. Conservative MLAs met on Monday at a private home in Surrey in an attempt to inject some semblance of unity into the caucus after seven MLAs resigned in just over two weeks.

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It was attended by a mix of supporters of party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay and opponents upset with her leadership but who don’t want to rock the boat, according to several sources. The meeting was called after a scheduled caucus meeting in Richmond was cancelled by Findlay.

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Chilliwack-Cultus Lake MLA Á’a:líya Warbus became the latest to leave Monday over concerns about Findlay’s leadership.

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She told Postmedia that she landed back in Canada from a trip to Singapore, where she competed in an outrigger canoe competition, on Sunday and almost immediately flew to Victoria before announcing her resignation.

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“If we’re asking the public to govern them, we need to show that we can govern ourselves, and that has not been clear or apparent in not just the past few weeks, but in the entire time since we made a shift in leadership after the leadership race was concluded,” said Warbus.

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Warbus said the cancellation of Monday’s caucus meeting pushed her over the edge to resign, but certain hires made by Findlay and the firing of caucus and party staff also contributed. She said the leaked audio of Findlay offering MLAs advisory roles for stepping down for her to run in a byelection was also a red flag.

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In a statement with no name attached, B.C. Conservative caucus communications said the party is “focused on the work British Columbians elected us to do as the Official Opposition, holding the NDP government accountable and restoring prosperity for the people of this province.”

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Expectations are that more MLAs will leave between now and the byelection in Abbotsford-Mission on Sept. 26, which Premier David Eby called over the weekend and where Findlay will run with the goal of getting a seat in the legislature.

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MLAs Donegal Wilson of Boundary-Similkameen, Ward Stamer of Kamloops-North Thompson and Larry Neufeld of Peace River South are among the names floating around as the possible next defectors, according to sources.

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There is also curiosity over where MLAs like Gavin Dew of Kelowna-Mission, Claire Rattée of Skeena and Scott McInnis of Columbia River-Revelstoke stand as the Conservatives crystalize into pro-Findlay and anti-Findlay camps.

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If former interim leader Trevor Halford of Surrey-White Rock leaves, it is expected a sizeable group would follow. But sources say Halford, who is well-respected in caucus for how he handled the spring session of the legislature, is hesitant to resign given his previous public comments that he would stand behind whoever was elected as the new leader.

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Sources say there were concerns of a potential showdown between Findlay and disaffected MLAs if the Richmond caucus meeting proceeded, leading to a heightened sense that this week may have represented a pivotal moment for the party leader, only three months into her new role but already the captain of a ship rapidly taking on water.

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On Saturday, notes went out to MLAs saying that the meeting had been cancelled. While the byelection call in Abbotsford-Mission was the official reason given by communications staff, many wondered whether the real reason was to avoid a mass walkout of legislators.

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Business leaders and other influential people on the centre and centre-right of politics in B.C. are holding meetings and trying to figure out options.

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A meeting at a White Spot in Vancouver last week aimed to determine whether it would be best to form a new party, join an existing one, or prop up the Conservatives with or without Findlay in charge.

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This effort is separate from the work being done by Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar and Delta South MLA Ian Paton to set up their own party, although there is some overlap in the people involved.