Findlay elected BC Conservative leader, vows to reverse NDP's 'economic vandalism' | Daily Hive

Kerry-Lynne Findlay elected BC Conservative leader, vows to end NDP's 'economic vandalism'

Kerry-Lynne Findlay. (Kerry-Lynne Findlay)

A months-long and fiercely contested race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of British Columbia concluded this evening with Kerry-Lynne Findlay emerging victorious, positioning her to challenge Premier David Eby and the BC NDP in the next general provincial election.

It took four rounds of voting to produce a winner, with candidates receiving the fewest votes eliminated after each round until one candidate secured more than 50 per cent of the vote.

The result was exceptionally close. In the final and decisive round, Findlay secured 4,696 points, representing 51 per cent of the membership vote, narrowly defeating Caroline Elliott, who received 4,514 points, or 49 per cent.

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Findlay also led the field in each of the first three rounds, capturing 30.5 per cent of the vote in the first round, 32.2 per cent in the second, and 38.6 per cent in the third.

Peter Milobar was eliminated following the first round after receiving the fewest votes, followed by Yuri Fulmer in the second round and Ian Black in the third, setting up the final head-to-head contest between Findlay and Elliott.

BREAKING… Kerry-Lynne Findlay wins the leadership race for the Conservative Party of British Columbia.

Winning narrowly with 51% of the votes after 4 rounds of voting. #bcpoli #vanpoli pic.twitter.com/QwzAxeeHKP

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) May 31, 2026

Findlay, a lawyer, first entered politics on the federal level under the Conservative Party of Canada, serving as the MP for the federal Delta-Richmond East riding from 2011 to 2015 — a period that also saw her serve under Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet in positions such as the Minister of National Revenue and Associate Minister of National Defence. She was also the MP for South Surrey-White Rock from 2019 to April 2025, until her defeat in last year’s federal election. She was previously the chief opposition whip for the federal Conservatives.

Currently, she is not a member of the B.C. legislature. As a result, she is expected to seek a seat in the legislature through a by-election, likely by asking a BC Conservative MLA in a safe riding to resign and trigger a vote that would allow her to run for election and take her place in the legislature. She is married to Brent Chapman, who is the MLA for the riding of Surrey South under the BC Conservatives.

“Finding solutions that last, where hard work is respected, less government, more freedom”

In her victory speech this evening that set the tone for her provincial leadership, Findlay vowed to challenge Premier Eby and reverse what she called the BC NDP’s “economic vandalism.”

“We can be a powerhouse in our nation, a powerhouse no longer denied by Eastern and global elites, predatory foreign nations, and our own constitution. NDP radical ideology has devastated property rights, backroom side agreements, and the NDP’s economic vandalism has to end,” said Findlay at the BC Conservative party’s convention held at the Rocky Mountaineer train station in Vancouver.

“A Findlay government will negotiate in the open, will bring clarity and certainty, because that is what unleashing our natural resources, attracting investment, keeping our professionals practising without censorship, and promoting freedom demands, and will deliver.”

Findlay also argued that B.C. could reclaim a stronger economic position in the country while addressing concerns about crime, affordability, and government overreach.

“British Columbians deserve this, and we will no longer be seen as irrelevant in interprovincial and international trade and commerce. Make no mistake, I am fighting for our sovereignty, for our home. I will unify and take the fight to grassroots British Columbians who’ve had enough of being pushed around,” she said.

“I am leading to take this province back, speaking up for all — finding solutions that last, where hard work is respected, less government, more freedom, powerful Western alliances. Dealing effectively with the tough issues we face daily — violent crime, drugs, chaos, and disorder in our neighbourhoods. Right down the street here when we came in tonight, it’s all within our grasp. Lower taxes, safer streets and communities, protecting our children, and putting parents and families as a priority. Clear policy commitments, disciplined messaging, public safety taken seriously again, economic decisions that prioritize small business.”

BC Conservative members “chose to go hard right,” says founder of new centrist party

During the party leadership race, Findlay faced scrutiny from critics over her past positions on Indigenous issues and her handling of concerns raised by some community groups about past comments made by her husband on Muslim Canadians. These issues also recently resurfaced during the internal party race and debates, including Findlay questioning Milobar’s objectivity on Indigenous issues because his wife is Indigenous.

Some political analysts viewed a Findlay victory as a sign that the BC Conservatives would embrace a more traditional conservative identity, moving away from the centrist-friendly “big tent” model that characterized the former BC Liberals before their unstable transition to the BC United banner. They argue that this could hinder the party’s ability to attract moderate voters and mount a successful challenge against Eby and the BC NDP.

With that said, a public opinion survey conducted by Angus Reid Institute in late April 2026 found the BC Conservatives gaining strong momentum even without a leader, with the BC Conservatives now leading with 46 per cent support — ahead of the 36 per cent for the BC NDP. Eby’s approval rating has also fallen by 20 per cent from 53 per cent to 33 per cent compared to about a year ago. Much of the growing disapproval for the BC NDP is driven by their approach on upholding the highly controversial Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), their “bad job” on balancing Aboriginal rights and private property rights, and other Indigenous reconciliation matters that introduce economic uncertainty and political instability.

According to that survey, while the BC NDP and BC Conservatives are tied in Metro Vancouver, on Vancouver Island, and along the North Coast, the BC Conservatives enjoy decisive advantages in the Fraser Valley and B.C. Interior, where they command majority support.

In a post this evening on X reacting to Findlay’s victory, Eby congratulated the new leader of the BC Conservatives and called for common ground on “putting people first.”

“Congratulations, Kerry-Lynne Findlay on being elected the leader of the BC Conservative party. British Columbians are served by thoughtful debate, principled leadership, and a commitment to public service. I will work with anyone who is interested in putting people first,” wrote the premier.

Eby’s message of congratulations stood in contrast to a sharply critical prepared partisan statement quickly issued by his BC NDP caucus, which argued that Findlay’s election reinforced concerns about the direction of the BC Conservatives under her leadership.

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

“Even B.C. Conservative MLAs say British Columbians should think twice before voting for her.”

Karin Kirkpatrick, a former West Vancouver-Capilano MLA who was first elected under the BC Liberals and more recently the founder of CentreBC, a new party positioning itself as a centrist alternative, said the BC Conservatives’ decision to elect Findlay as leader amounts to a choice to “go hard right” and a distraction from pressing issues.

“The leadership race was ultimately a choice about the future direction of the Conservative movement in British Columbia. The members chose to go hard right. The question now is what that choice means for the province,” said Kirkpatrick.

“The people of this province are anxious. They are paying too much to live here, and they feel like government has stopped working for them. We cannot afford to spend the next few years fighting culture wars while the housing crisis worsens, the toxic drug crisis continues to kill, healthcare struggles, and economic uncertainty grows. The path forward requires stability, collaboration, and trust. It requires bringing people together, not dividing them.”

Brad West, the mayor of Port Coquitlam and a prominent voice on provincial affairs, similarly urged political leaders to focus on addressing issues such as affordability, public safety, and economic growth rather than becoming consumed by ideological and partisan disputes.

“British Columbians are practical people. They don’t expect government to solve every problem, but to focus on the things that matter: safe communities, reliable public services, and an economy that creates opportunity and a rising standard of living that lifts all boats,” said West after this evening’s party race results.

“Political leadership that is consumed by ideology, partisanship, and narrow appeals to issues that make not a lick of difference to quality of life, but are intend to distract and enrage do a disservice to the people and won’t make it very far. In fact, it’s part of the reason we are plagued by the same challenges year over year, decade over decade. We need to firmly turn the page on this era, and leave it behind.”

From suspending gas taxes to protecting private property rights through Canadian Constitution amendments

Findlay has made a number of significant promises during the campaign trail.

If she becomes B.C.’s next premier, she has vowed to suspend all provincial and regional gas taxes for at least 12 months, including the provincial motor fuel tax, the TransLink gas tax within Metro Vancouver, the regional gas taxes that support BC Transit outside of Metro Vancouver, and other taxes. This would result in total gas tax savings of up to 44 cents per litre.

As well, ICBC’s no-fault vehicle insurance system created by the BC NDP would be repealed to “restore meaningful legal rights for individuals with injuries to pursue full and fair compensation in court.”

A Findlay government would repeal the BC NDP’s DRIPA to restore economic and investment confidence. When it comes to the other growing controversies over First Nations reconciliation matters, she would also uphold provincial authority and decision-making, and defend private property rights in Aboriginal title claims, including working with other provinces to pursue new protections for private property rights in the Canadian Constitution.

She has made it clear that a provincial government led by her BC Conservatives would focus on growing natural resource exports, including mining, forestry/sawmills, and by working with Alberta and Saskatchewan to get pipelines and energy corridors built through B.C. This would create a “strong Western Alliance” that does not depend on the federal government.

Her economic strategy also entails expanding B.C.’s ports and trade infrastructure to make the province the most competitive Pacific trade gateway in North America, including expanding and improving highways, increasing rail capacity, standardizing trucking rules, and accelerating approvals for infrastructure projects.

She would repeal “radical ideology,” sexual orientation, and gender identity educational resources in schools by introducing legislation. Additionally, classroom discipline standards would be reinforced, teachers would be supported in maintaining an orderly learning environment, and violence, bullying, and chronic disruption in classrooms would be addressed. Mental health supports focused on student wellbeing and resilience would also be introduced.

During the campaign, Findlay positioned herself as a strong advocate for free speech, pledging to amend the B.C. Human Rights Code to provide what she describes as the strongest possible protections for freedom of expression by explicitly reaffirming it as a fundamental right in provincial law.

“With your help, we can turn that commitment into real change, to bring common sense across British Columbia. In our national anthem, we cry out to God to make our land glorious and free. Free people, making free choices and free speech in a free enterprise market economy where hard work is rewarded and we are not crushed by socialist overreach that wants to dictate literally what we think, what we believe, what we can say, and who we associate with,” said Findlay during her victory speech this evening.

“Faith, family, and freedom. That’s what it’s all about. And truly, I can’t wait to get started. God bless British Columbia and God bless all of you.”

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