B.C. Conservatives lose second MLA in two days as Rosalyn Bird leaves caucus

Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird leaves the chamber at the legislature in Victoria, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Photo by Chad Hipolito /POSTMEDIA

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For the second time in as many days, the B.C. Conservatives have lost a member of their caucus, with Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird announcing she will now sit as an Independent.

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In a statement sent to media, Bird said the decision came after “considerable reflection” and that the “decision was not made lightly.”

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“Political parties play an important role in our democracy, but they are vehicles for our values; they cannot become substitutes for them,” she said.

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“I believe British Columbians are tired of political infighting, name-calling and division. They expect their elected representatives to disagree respectfully, work collaboratively where possible, and remain focused on the challenges facing families, communities and our province.”

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Bird’s announcement comes the day after Delta South MLA Ian Paton announced he was resigning from caucus and would be forming a new centre-right party with Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar.

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Milobar left the Conservative caucus on Aug. 14, mere months after losing on the first ballot in the leadership race that crowned Kerry-Lynne Findlay as the new party leader.

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Along with Paton and West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Lynne Block, Bird was one of three MLAs to publicly confirm they had been asked by Findlay to resign so she could run in a byelection.

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Paton said he had been offered an agricultural adviser role by Findlay’s chief of staff Chris Delaney that would pay him the same amount he currently makes as an MLA, $122,043, a claim that Findlay denied.

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“I was told that I would stay on as a staffer, which I guess there’s nothing wrong with that. I mean, if I step down, I’m no longer an MLA, and they said, ‘you could come on as a staffer, a party staffer, and act as an adviser for agricultural issues,’ and I would get paid the same as I’m getting paid now as an MLA.”

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Reann Gasper, until recently the MLA for Abbotsford-Mission, was named Findlay’s deputy chief of staff after stepping down Saturday to give her party leader a seat to run in.

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Findlay admitted at a press conference Tuesday that more MLAs may leave but argued it opens up opportunities for others to take leadership positions.

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“There have been a couple of people who have, in recent days, made a decision to leave our caucus, and we need to be understanding that they’ve made a choice, but what that choice has done has actually opened up amazing opportunities for leadership within our caucus,” she said.

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“There may even be others that leave our caucus. I don’t know, but if they’re leaving, that means they do not have a vision for prosperity and hope that we’re presenting for all British Columbians.”

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