Findlay refuses to quit nine days before byelection

PENTICTON — Two sitting Conservative MLAs asked Kerry-Lynne Findlay to resign during an emergency caucus meeting late Wednesday in Vancouver. She refused, and she remains leader..Interim Official Opposition leader Heather Maahs walked out of what has been called an "emergency caucus meeting" and told reporters the meeting had been “absolutely fantastic." Asked whether Findlay had stepped down, Maahs said she “absolutely” had not. Health critic Anna Kindy said Findlay “always will be” leader and “She’s gonna win.” Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford, who served as interim Conservative leader from December 4, 2025 until Findlay’s May 30 win, was also seen leaving the meeting and did not answer questions about her leadership..West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Lynne Block, asked whether Findlay had been pressed to go, said, “you’ll have to ask her.”.Block is the last of three Conservative MLAs who said in July they had been asked to resign their own seats so Findlay could run a byelection. Jas Johal named the trio July 29. Each later confirmed the ask.Delta South MLA Ian Paton left caucus August 24. Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird left August 25.Both now sit with the still-unnamed party Peter Milobar and Paton are building..The sitting Conservative caucus numbers 28, not counting vacant Abbotsford-Mission. Nine colleagues have left since August 14. Findlay still has no seat. Voting day in the Abbotsford-Mission byelection is Saturday, September 26.The emergency session followed a public letter Skeena MLA Claire Rattée posted Wednesday on Substack. Rattée said the caucus was “deeply divided,” that Findlay had called meetings and then left after a speech or skipped them — “including one today” — and that she would not “tolerate leadership refusing to address challenges.” She also wrote that she is staying a Conservative MLA.Rattée’s letter pointed to “extremely poor staffing choices” and “reports of potential police inquiries” around senior members of the leader’s office.Those reports include Paton’s allegation then-chief of staff Chris Delaney offered him a two-year agriculture-adviser post at MLA pay to vacate Delta South.Delaney resigned earlier this month.Findlay denied any job-for-seat offer on August 24. RCMP E Division will not confirm or deny an investigation unless charges are laid. No charges have been laid..Article 11.02 of the BC Conservative Constitution and Bylaws lets a leader leave only by resignation, death, incapacitation, or a scheduled membership review vote falling below 50%. A December 2025 board motion that certified John Rustad “professionally incapacitated” was a reading CBC later quoted party executives calling "creative." Technically speaking, Rustad resigned the next day rather than forcing the board to test the limits of their creative textual interpretation.Findlay won the leadership 51% to 49% over Caroline Elliott. She was acclaimed in Abbotsford-Mission after Reann Gasper resigned the seat August 22. Gasper is now her chief of staff..Advance voting in Abbotsford-Mission opens Friday and runs through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Vote-by-mail packages can be requested until 8 p.m. Sunday. Final voting day is Saturday, September 26, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Elections BC posts the preliminary count after polls close that night and the final count October 1. The legislature returns October 5.

Findlay refuses to quit nine days before byelection

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