UPDATE: Kerry-Lynne Findlay voted new leader of the B.C. Conservative Party

Kerry-Lynne Findlay stands on the pier in White Rock on April 22, 2025. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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Kerry-Lynne Findlay has been voted the new leader of the B.C. Conservative Party.

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It was a tight race on Saturday, where Findlay was able to eke out 51 per cent of the vote. Her closest challenger, Caroline Elliott, came in second with 49 per cent.

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“B.C. Liberal insiders are trying to take over the Conservative Party of B.C. The Liberals want to steal the Conservative name … and push the same hidden Liberal agenda,” Findlay’s website states.

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Her campaign promises include cutting taxes, repealing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), getting rid of SOGI in schools and harsher consequences for criminals, including extortionists.

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On DRIPA, Findlay addressed her plan during a live debate in late April hosted by Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer and Stuart McNish of Conversations Live.

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“This is the No. 1 topic on people’s minds,” Findlay said.

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She went on to reference the Supreme Court decision that the Cowichan Nation holds Aboriginal title over historic village lands in Richmond.

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“This applies to the whole province, and everyone is concerned. The lack of precision of language — which as a lawyer, I hate — makes everybody feel very uncertain about what does Aboriginal governance mean? What do future Aboriginal partnerships look like?”

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A former lawyer, Findlay said she has litigated in Indigenous land title disputes before. The case in which Findlay was involved was in 2000 and concluded with the Supreme Court of Canada narrowly ruling in favour of homeowners in Vancouver who were fighting against a large rent increase on land they leased from the Musqueam First Nation.

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Kerry-Lynne Findlay first served in federal politics as the Conservative MP for Delta-Richmond East from 2011 to 2015, and was MP for the South Surrey-White Rock riding from 2019 until April 2025. Photo by Gerry Kahrmann /PNG

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“I’ve lived it, I’ve litigated it, I understand it, and I’ve understood it for a long time,” Findlay said.

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“This is not a new issue — it’s just an issue that’s been churning and boiling, and now has come to a head because both the provincial and federal governments have abandoned the field. They are not speaking up for the 95 per cent of us who are non-Indigenous.”

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There were five candidates for the leadership race — Findlay, Elliott, Iain Black, Yuri Fulmer and Peter Milobar.

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During the course of her campaign, Findlay was criticized for her beliefs by opposing parties, and her Conservative opponents.

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In particular, for Findlay’s statement that Milobar was in conflict of interest on DRIPA because of his wife and children being Indigenous. The New Democrat party called Findlay’s campaign racist and said she is the “most extreme and divisive leader” of any B.C. political party in history.

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“Kerry-Lynne Findlay and her supporters in caucus have more in common with Donald Trump’s Republicans than they do with Canadian Conservatives,” Jennifer Whiteside, NDP MLA for New Westminster-Coquitlam, said in a news release after Findlay’s win.