B.C. politics · Developing story · September 20, 2026
Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigns as B.C. Conservative leader; Brodie makes pitch to disaffected supporters
Findlay says internal conflict has distracted from the work of opposition. She plans to remain the party’s Abbotsford-Mission candidate, while Dallas Brodie uses the departure to promote OneBC.
Update: OneBC urges Conservatives to leave the party
September 20, 2026, 8:19 PM PDT — In a separate post from the One BC Facebook page, the party escalated its appeal to disaffected Conservative supporters. It described Findlay’s departure as an “anti-democratic coup” by a “Liberal faction,” argued that remaining in the B.C. Conservatives endorsed corruption, and urged people to join OneBC under Dallas Brodie.
The accompanying graphic reads “Brodie for Premier!” and directs readers to a membership page. This is a party recruitment message, not a neutral account of the leadership dispute.
Evidence distinction: Findlay’s resignation is confirmed. The new post does not supply records establishing a coordinated coup, the identity or actions of the alleged faction, or corruption by those who remain in the party. Those characterizations are OneBC’s political allegations—not findings by NewsForBC. Its statements about members’ integrity are political judgments, not established facts about individual members.
The statement adds a second reaction to the earlier Brodie post covered below; it does not itself establish a new caucus departure, membership totals or Findlay joining OneBC. Findlay’s own reported statement said she would remain a Conservative candidate in Abbotsford-Mission. Selected Facebook replies cannot establish how voters or members across the province are responding.
Kerry-Lynne Findlay has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, effective immediately, ending her leadership after a period of escalating caucus conflict.
Findlay announced the decision in an X post dated September 20. The Canadian Press independently reported that her resignation was effective immediately. In her statement, quoted by Global News and Fraser Valley Today, Findlay said the party needed a reset and that she would remain its candidate in Abbotsford-Mission.
“I will not allow an internal battle over my leadership to become a continuing distraction,” she wrote, according to the reports. She also acknowledged decisions she would make differently with hindsight and took responsibility for decisions that were hers.
A leadership departure—not an exit from candidacy
The distinction matters for voters: Findlay is leaving the leadership, but her statement says she is not leaving public service or abandoning her candidacy. That is her announced intention, not a claim by NewsForBC that an election result or any future nomination decision is settled.
The departure followed Linda Hepner’s decision earlier Sunday to leave the Conservative caucus. Global News reported that the Surrey-Serpentine River MLA cited Friday’s removal of John Rustad, Trevor Halford and Claire Rattée in explaining her departure.
The three removals are confirmed in the party’s September 18 statement. Findlay’s statement at the time described a need to focus on British Columbians and preparing for an election rather than internal power struggles. That was the leadership’s position—not an independent finding about the motives of the MLAs removed.
Global News put the remaining Conservative caucus at 25 following Hepner’s departure. That figure is attributed to its September 20 reporting; caucus membership can change quickly in a developing story.
Brodie’s reaction: sympathy for Findlay, recruitment for OneBC
In the Facebook post supplied to NewsForBC, Dallas Brodie portrayed Findlay as the “wrong winner” and said she had faced a “savage and vindictive attack.” Brodie then urged readers to join OneBC.
The post also accused a political and media establishment of corruption. Those are Brodie’s political allegations and interpretation—not findings established by the resignation announcement or the other sources reviewed for this article. The post did not provide documentary evidence proving coordinated corruption.
Findlay’s own reported statement is more specific: she described internal conflict, accepted responsibility for some decisions and said disagreement should not become personal destruction. Her comments about attacks and threats are her account; NewsForBC has not independently established the incidents behind them.
Visible Facebook replies expressed support for Brodie, but the page displayed only a limited selection under “Most relevant.” Those comments are not a representative poll, do not establish a province-wide shift in support and are not reproduced here.
The opposition’s next test is organization and accountability
Findlay’s departure does not by itself resolve the disagreements that have split the Conservative movement. The immediate questions are who will lead the party, what process will select that person, whether departing MLAs will reconsider their positions and how the party will keep members informed.
For the public, the test extends beyond personalities: can opposition parties provide sustained scrutiny of health care, housing costs, public safety and provincial finances while settling their internal disputes?
Speculation about an early provincial election has intensified, but speculation is not an election call. The reports reviewed for this article did not establish that a new general-election date had been announced. An election timetable should be checked against Elections BC, not inferred from party turmoil.
- Confirmed: Findlay announced her resignation; Canadian Press reported it took effect immediately.
- Her stated intention: remain the Conservative candidate in Abbotsford-Mission.
- Confirmed primary record: the party’s September 18 removal of Rustad, Halford and Rattée from caucus.
- Political reaction: Brodie’s explanation of why Findlay departed and her appeal to OneBC supporters.
- Not established by the reviewed evidence: Brodie’s broader corruption allegation, the identity of a successor, a resolution of the party’s divisions, or an announced snap-election date.
Sources and reporting notes
- Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s September 20 X announcement — primary resignation announcement, read directly in the browser; attached full-statement text was not retrieved there.
- Canadian Press, via Medicine Hat News: Findlay resigns — corroboration of resignation effective immediately.
- Global News: Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigns as BC Conservatives leader — statement, candidacy and current political context.
- Fraser Valley Today: Findlay remains Abbotsford-Mission candidate — extended quotations from her message to supporters. One sentence misdates Sunday as September 19; this article uses September 20, consistent with the primary announcement and corroborating reports.
- Conservative Party of B.C., September 18 statement — official caucus removals.
- Global News: Linda Hepner leaves caucus — attributed departure and caucus-count reporting.
- Dallas Brodie’s Facebook reaction — the reader-supplied lead; opinion and recruitment framing are attributed.
- One BC Facebook page: follow-up recruitment statement — reviewed September 20; allegations and campaign language attributed.
This is a developing news report, not an endorsement of any party. No outreach or interviews were conducted. Source note · Evidence ledger · Social-source capture note