Paton becomes second MLA to quit Findlay’s Conservative caucus

PENTICTON — Delta South MLA Ian Paton stepped down from the Conservative Party of BC caucus Monday to sit as an independent, becoming the second member to leave under leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay and the latest sign of fracture inside the official Opposition..Paton was set to address the legislature Mondays morning alongside Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar, who quit the Conservatives on August 14 citing a values clash with Findlay’s direction. Reports from the legislature steps indicate the pair intend to form a new centrist party, with Milobar serving as interim leader and aiming for official party status before the fall session.The move comes two days after Abbotsford-Mission MLA and deputy whip Reann Gasper informed the Speaker she is resigning to allow Findlay to seek the seat in a forthcoming byelection. Gasper, first elected in 2024 by defeating then-NDP cabinet minister Pam Alexis with 55% of the vote, said the decision was hers alone and made with the larger goal of defeating the NDP in mind.Paton, a third-generation farmer who lives on the family operation in Ladner, has represented Delta South since 2017. He was first elected as a BC Liberal, continued under BC United, and crossed to the Conservatives after United suspended its campaign ahead of the 2024 election. Before entering the legislature he spent seven years on Delta city council, chairing the agricultural advisory and dikes and drainage committees. He has served as agriculture critic and, briefly, as Findlay’s Lower Mainland lieutenant before resigning that post at the end of July, citing the demands of MLA duties, running a 60-acre farm, and family responsibilities including care for his 99-year-old mother..Paton was one of three MLAs who publicly confirmed they rejected overtures from Findlay’s team to resign their seats so the leader could run in a byelection. West Vancouver-Capilano MLA Lynne Block and Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird were the others.Milobar, the party’s former finance critic and the only sitting MLA to contest the May leadership race, finished last with roughly 10.5% on the first ballot. In his August 14 statement he said he respected the membership’s choice of Findlay but that his values “no longer align with this new direction.” He has continued to sit as an independent while signalling further announcements about the road ahead.Since the Conservatives came within 22 votes of forming government in the 2024 election, the party has lost or removed eight MLAs and seen the resignation of former leader John Rustad. Two of those exits have occurred under Findlay, who won the leadership on May 30 without a seat in the house. The former federal cabinet minister has also faced controversy over a private group chat in which she appeared to link Richmond-Bridgeport MLA Teresa Wat to the Chinese Communist Party.Findlay’s team has overhauled caucus and party staff since her victory, replacing longtime figures including executive director Angelo Isidorou and, more recently, president Aisha Estey and vice-president Sharon White.Gasper’s resignation is the first voluntary seat-opening that gives Findlay a clear route into the legislature via byelection, which Premier David Eby must call within six months of the vacancy.Paton’s departure further shrinks the Conservative caucus at a moment when the party is attempting to project unity and prepare for the next election cycle.

Paton becomes second MLA to quit Findlay’s Conservative caucus

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Milobar leaves Conservative Party of BC