Recapping a chaotic, confusing Friday in British Columbia politics

PENTICTON - Conservative Party of BC leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay had three sitting MLAs taken off the official caucus list Friday, Peter Milobar took the leadership of CentreBC, and a former premier is rumoured for a comeback.Those are just a few of the stories coming out of one of the most chaotic and, at times, confusing days in recent memory of British Columbia politics.CKNW radio host and former BC Liberal MLA Jas Johal said on Friday evening: "I've been covering politics for thirty years and have never seen a day quite like today. Wow." .The day's news cycle had started in the early hours of the morning.As first reported by the Western Standard, Trevor Halford led a late-night phone drive to get as many signatures as possible on a letter demanding Kerry-Lynne Findlay resign..The number of signatures reached was ten — well short of a reported goal of 15, which would have represented more than half of the party's caucus following the earlier departures of nine MLAs.That departure count grew to 12 later in the day upon Findlay announcing the ousting of Halford, Claire Rattée and John Rustad from the BC Conservative caucus.Unlike the first nine MLAs to depart from the party under Findlay's leadership, the three newest departures were removed from caucus by leadership.."Effective immediately, Trevor Halford, Claire Rattée, and John Rustad will no longer serve as members of the Conservative Party of British Columbia Caucus," she wrote. "There's no room for internal power struggles or vanity projects."In response, Rattée put out a statement of her own.."I'm not going anywhere," Rattée wrote, echoing the same words Findlay had uttered at the UBCM convention Thursday, before questioning whether Findlay even possesses the authority to remove her from caucus given that she does not hold a seat in the legislature.This left many onlookers understandably confused..The Kitimat release went further. "Those team members are elected members of the BC Conservative Caucus. Ms. Findlay is not. She does not have the authority to remove any member of our caucus," Rattée wrote. "I was elected as a BC Conservative MLA and that's not going to change."Rattée is technically correct insofar as Findlay does not have the authority to remove elected members from the BC Conservative caucus as an unelected party leader without a seat in the legislature.Heather Maahs can, however. The Chilliwack North MLA has been interim Leader of the Official Opposition since June 29, giving her the authority to remove members from caucus.The Western Standard was the first outlet to name Rattée and Rustad as the two MLAs calling for Findlay's resignation late Wednesday evening.In her release, Rattée confirmed she was indeed one of two MLAs who asked Findlay to resign at Wednesday night's emergency caucus in Vancouver. She also confirmed that she was one of the "around ten" MLAs who signed the Thursday letter.Halford, who led the late-night phone drive behind the letter, was also removed from caucus on Friday. So too was Rustad.The Office of the Clerk shortly recorded the same three names as "no longer affiliated" after interim Official Opposition leader Heather Maahs sent word..Halford posted Friday evening that he, too, was "not going anywhere.""I'm running in Surrey-White Rock," he additionally confirmed in a Friday X post, without clarifying what party banner, if any, he would be running under..The same afternoon, a group of earlier BC Conservative walkouts who had been building a still-unnamed party took the unusual step of adopting a name that already existed.Milobar and outgoing CentreBC leader Mike Bernier announced in Vancouver that Bernier was stepping aside and that Milobar would lead the party..As part of the announcement, Milobar called the Conservatives a "clown college" and said CentreBC would run candidates in all 93 ridings. He called a snap election both "imminent" and "ridiculous" for Eby to be considering."Today is an exciting day for British Columbia, as we present a legitimate option to the 51% of British Columbians who feel 'politically homeless,'" he said.Seven of the first nine Findlay-era exits joined him Friday: Ian Paton of Delta South, Bruce Banman of Abbotsford South, Rosalyn Bird of Prince George-Valemount, Teresa Wat of Richmond-Bridgeport, Á'a:líya Warbus of Chilliwack-Cultus Lake and Donegal Wilson of Boundary-Similkameen, plus Milobar of Kamloops Centre.In another surprise development, Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko, whom Rustad removed from the Conservative caucus in September 2025, signed on as the eighth.With Sturko's move to CentreBC, Brennan Day and Scott McInnis remain the only two Independents among those who defected from the BC Conservatives in recent weeks.."David Eby & the NDP have destroyed British Columbia," Sturko wrote. "I am honoured to join @VoteCentreBC with our new leader @PeterMilobar & the rest of the team as we work to get BC back on track.".And if all that wasn't enough, late Friday, CKNW's Johal posted that people close to former premier Christy Clark have been hearing from supporters who want her to "bring the fight to David Eby," and that Clark has indicated behind the scenes she would consider it "under these emergency circumstances." Clark has not said so on the record..Eby, meanwhile, spent Friday morning at the same UBCM convention Findlay had addressed Thursday. He delayed a planned PST expansion onto professional services that had been set for October 1, announced a $90-million trade-war package for businesses, and said future BC Ferries vessels would be built in the province. On the only question the room actually wanted answered, he repeated the line from Wednesday's Surrey presser."I don't have any announcements to make about an election today," he said.UBCM president Cori Ramsay asked him on the floor to wait four weeks so the October 17 civic vote could finish. About 3,500 local candidates are heading into that campaign, she said. Eby took the resolution under advisement. Ramsay later told CTV she did not get the clarity she wanted..Finally, advance voting in Abbotsford-Mission opened Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and runs through Wednesday. Final voting day is September 26.However, those advance votes could be all for nought should Eby drop the writ.A general-election writ issued before that Saturday cancels the byelection, even if it's already in progress.

Recapping a chaotic, confusing Friday in British Columbia politics

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