Manifesto for revived BC Liberal Party circulates days after Findlay’s narrow Conservative leadership win

VANCOUVER — Days after Kerry-Lynne Findlay narrowly won the BC Conservative leadership, a group of centrists has launched a quiet but detailed effort to revive the BC Liberal Party — complete with a 19-page roadmap, draft constitution, and recruitment strategy aimed at voters disillusioned with both the NDP and the new Conservative Party of BC direction.The document, titled “it’s time to build a Liberal party in B.C.,” began circulating privately within days of Findlay’s May 30 victory and was later posted publicly by CKNW host and former BC Liberal MLA Jas Johal..According to the plan, organizers want to file under the official name “Liberal Party of British Columbia” while using a temporary public name if required by Elections BC rules. They explicitly state they are not pursuing a takeover or rebranding of the existing BC United, the party formerly known as the BC Liberals.“We’re not starting from a blank page,” the document states. “There are working drafts of a constitution, bylaws, rules, and a set of policy ideas — all ready to be workshopped and finalized together.”The manifesto argues that the NDP has taken “Liberal-minded and progressive voters” for granted for years, while the Conservatives under Findlay are offering a platform centred on “faith, freedom and family” that leaves many British Columbians without a clear home. It proposes modelling the new party on the federal Liberals under Mark Carney, emphasizing competence and a “plan to build” rather than strict ideology.Recruitment targets include people who voted NDP under former premier John Horgan, federal Liberals who held their nose and voted NDP provincially, former BC Liberals who tried the Conservatives, and former Greens who feel adrift..Findlay’s leadership campaign was marked by repeated warnings against allowing a “Liberal takeover” of the Conservative Party. She defeated former BC United vice-president Caroline Elliott on the final ballot by a narrow 51–49 margin under the party’s riding-weighted system.The race exposed deep divisions. Several candidates, including Elliott and former BC Liberal cabinet minister Iain Black, carried significant BC United or Liberal backgrounds. Findlay positioned herself as the candidate who would keep the party on a clear conservative path, campaigning on the slogan of "faith, family, and freedom."The BC United Party, which rebranded from the BC Liberals in 2023 under then-leader Kevin Falcon, effectively collapsed in August 2024 when Falcon suspended campaigning and endorsed John Rustad’s Conservatives weeks before the provincial election. The party has remained largely dormant since, though it is still nominally registered.A fresh Leger poll conducted in the days immediately following Findlay’s leadership victory shows the BC Conservatives leading David Eby’s NDP 45% to 41% among decided voters, with the Greens at 8%. It marks the first time in recent Leger polling that the Conservatives have taken a lead over the governing NDP.

Manifesto for revived BC Liberal Party circulates days after Findlay’s narrow Conservative leadership win

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