As British Columbia heads to the Oct. 24 provincial election, both Conservatives and their opponents are reframing the party’s identity following Kerry-Lynne Findlay’s resignation.
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British Columbia goes to the polls on Oct. 24, and the contest is already being shaped by a rapidly evolving debate over what the B.C. Conservatives stand for, with both sides trying to define the party’s direction after Kerry-Lynne Findlay stepped down as leader.
The New Democratic Party argues the Conservatives’ brand is too accommodating of U.S. President Donald Trump, an assessment David Eby used to justify the election call as necessary to build a “firewall against ‘Trump-style politics.’” Eby’s framing ties the provincial race to a broader cultural and political clash that he says poses a risk for voters in B.C.
From within the Conservative ranks, interim leader Lorne Doerkson has moved quickly to distance his party from Trump rhetoric. Doerkson, who was installed on Sunday after Findlay resigned, told media and caucus members after the election call that Trump is “the bully south of the border.”
The leadership change has also prompted members to reposition themselves publicly. Peter Milobar, who rejoined the Conservatives on Tuesday after leaving the party because of Findlay, said his return reflects a shift back toward a “progressive-ideas, conservative-values” approach rather than the leadership style that had driven his earlier departure.
Further changes are being signalled beyond the interim leader. A’a:liya Warbus, one of the Indigenous legislators in the B.C. legislature, was among a group of seven CentreBC members who also rejoined the Conservatives on Tuesday. In a statement, the group described Findlay’s exit as an opening to adopt a “responsible, progressive-conservative approach.”
Findlay’s leadership lasted less than four months. During that period, she attempted to present the Conservatives as a party of “faith, family and freedom,” and she largely avoided traditional media interviews, instead speaking with conservative influencers and using social media to reach supporters.
The leadership period also included highly targeted digital messaging, including the release of an AI-generated social media video that depicted Eby as a Stalin-like figure and framed B.C. politics as a “culture war” directed by the premier.
Together, those moves are now being met with accelerated counter-messaging from both camps. Eby’s position emphasizes the stakes of the vote as a defence against what he described as Trump-like politics, while Doerkson and returning or rejoining members are presenting the party as rejecting that tone and returning to a broader, more moderate-conservative identity.
With the Oct. 24 election approaching, the Conservative leadership transition—paired with attempts to redefine the party through public statements from interim leadership and returning members—means the race is likely to continue centering on party branding and ideology, not only on specific provincial policy differences.
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