Make it seven: MLA Donegal Wilson latest to join new B.C. centre-right party

Boundary-Similkameen MLA Donegal Wilson, top middle, is the latest B.C. Conservative defector to join a new party launched by Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar, top left, and Delta South MLA Ian Paton, top right. Wilson made the announcement on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. It was previously announced on Sept. 4 that Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman, bottom left, Prince George Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird, second from left, and Chilliwack-Cultus Lake MLA Á’a:líya Warbus, second from right, had also joined the party. Richmond-Bridgeport MLA Teresa Wat, bottom right, announced she had joined the party on Sept. 11.

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The centre-right party challenging B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s rocky tenure has won another convert.

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MLA Donegal Wilson, who represents the riding of Boundary-Similkameen and left the Tory caucus two weeks ago, announced Monday that she will join six others in the new, as-yet-unnamed provincial party headed by interim Leader Peter Milobar.

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In a statement, Wilson said her decision was because of a lack of trust in Findlay, who has ousted several longtime Conservative operatives and alienated MLAs who have been critical of her agenda and lack of communication.

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“When I left the B.C. Conservative caucus, I left because I could no longer support the leadership of Kerry-Lynne Findlay,” said Wilson. “I said then that I was leaving a caucus, not my principles, and that has not changed.

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“I did not intend to join another party, but what has become clear is that this new party is a group of people who are willing to put in the work and deliver on what British Columbians need in 2026.”

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Seven MLAs left the Tory party in August: Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day, Delta South MLA Ian Paton, Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird, Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar, Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman, Chilliwack-Cultus Lake MLA Áʼa:líya Warbus, and Richmond-Bridgeport MLA Teresa Wat

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In early September, Wilson jumped ship on the same day that Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Scott McInnis also left caucus. McInnis hasn’t yet announced his intentions but said at the time that he couldn’t in good faith campaign for Findlay in her bid for a byelection win in Abbotsford-Mission.

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One of the defections was personal. Wat left after private texts between Findlay and her team were posted in which Findlay insinuated that Wat was associated with the Chinese Communist Party — remarks that Wat called “distasteful” and “hurtful.”

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Wilson said she decided to join the new party after meeting with the six MLAs involved and “seeing their willingness to have difficult conversations about what the party should stand for and how it should operate.”

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Wilson said she is dedicated to building a team that is a credible threat to the ruling NDP under Premier David Eby.

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“I am not interested in rebuilding an old, failed party,” Wilson said. “British Columbia has changed. We are working to understand what worked, be honest about what did not and build for the British Columbia we want to have in the future.”

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“Our team is growing because there is a clear appetite for a serious alternative to the NDP,” said Milobar after Wat joined the group. “British Columbians are tired of out-of-control spending and a government who is responsible for the decline of so many sectors in our province. It’s time for change.”

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Wilson pledged to continue her work for her constituents and said the new party is doing the same by “building a practical, fiscally responsible party that listens, is willing to make difficult decisions and measures success by what it actually delivers for British Columbians.”

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Sixteen of the 44 MLAs elected to the B.C. Conservative party in 2024 have since left, been expelled or resigned their seats.

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With files from Stephanie Ip

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