Surrey-Serpentine River MLA Linda Hepner has resigned from the BC Conservative caucus as talk grows of a possible snap election in B.C.
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B.C. Conservative caucus ranks have thinned again after Surrey-Serpentine River MLA Linda Hepner resigned from the party’s legislative caucus on Sunday, just days after three other members were removed.
In a resignation letter to Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Hepner said she was stepping away because of leadership decisions she argued did not reflect an ability or willingness to take direction from within the party. She specifically criticized what she described as a lack of listening.
Hepner cited the Friday removal of MLAs Trevor Halford, Claire Rattee and John Rustad as part of her decision to resign. She said it was “beyond the pale of common sense” to remove experienced voices instead of engaging them, while the party is also urging grassroots members to rally behind the party.
In the letter, Hepner questioned why the three MLAs were removed even as the party seeks support from its broader base. She wrote that grassroots members should be listened to, not simply appealed to, framing the resignation as a response to how party leadership handled internal disagreement.
The Conservative caucus has faced a series of departures and leadership changes over the past year. Rustad previously led the party during the last provincial election, which saw the NDP form government with a slim majority, while the Conservatives recorded their strongest result with 44 seats compared with eight at dissolution.
Rustad was later ousted as leader after a caucus vote to replace him, with Halford taking over. Rustad subsequently resigned as party leader in December but remained a member of the caucus until it was confirmed last week that he and Halford were no longer members, according to the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly.
Hepner’s resignation also comes amid broader controversy within the party. She pointed to allegations from Thursday involving a former party director hiring a private investigator to look into 14 people, including party members and a Victoria-based journalist, as another factor behind her decision.
With Hepner leaving, the Conservative caucus is now reduced to 25 members and, according to the reporting, she is the 13th MLA to leave the party either voluntarily or after being ousted by party leadership.
The decision lands at a time when speculation has increased that Premier David Eby could call a snap provincial election. The reporting notes that a recent sequence of provincial funding announcements has fed expectations of an early vote, and that municipal campaign activity has already begun.
Elections BC has also published a document outlining potential dates for advance voting and election day depending on when a writ is issued. If an election were called by this Tuesday, election day would be Oct. 24; if it were called between Sept. 23 and Sept. 29, election day would fall on Oct. 31, coinciding with Halloween. The currently scheduled date for the next provincial election remains Oct. 21, 2028.
Alongside the internal Conservative shake-up, talk is also shifting to other parties that could benefit from defections if an election is called. Former caucus member Peter Milobar has become the leader of the CentreBC party, which has joined MLAs including Eleanor Sturko, who had been ejected from the Conservative caucus last year; CentreBC is now described as the third-largest party in the legislature with eight MLAs, focusing on crime and safety, health care and the economy. The direction of the opposition in B.C., particularly if a snap election occurs, may hinge in part on how these caucus changes translate into voter support on the ballot.
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