Findlay removes Halford, Rattée and Rustad from BC Conservatives caucus as election concerns grow

The Story

BC Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay has announced that three party members will no longer serve as members of the Conservative Party of British Columbia caucus, describing the change as effective immediately.

In a statement issued via email on Friday, Findlay named Trevor Halford, Claire Rattée and John Rustad as the three people removed from caucus. The announcement ties the move to an expectation of political urgency, with Findlay saying an election could be on the horizon.

Findlay said the party’s immediate focus is on British Columbians and on defeating Premier David Eby’s NDP government. She also said the BC Conservative Party is the only “free-enterprise” team that is fully funded for a campaign to take on the NDP, and argued that the party needs everyone working toward building a movement and preparing to win.

While Findlay’s statement presented the decision as part of organizing the party for an election period, Rattée responded separately in a statement posted earlier Friday on X. Rattée said she is not going anywhere despite Findlay’s announcement.

In Rattée’s remarks, she framed the moment as one where the BC Conservative Party must present a credible alternative and be positioned to look like a government in waiting. She said the party needs to do that for people she described as “struggling” across the province.

Rattée also raised disputes about Findlay’s authority over caucus membership. She said that since Findlay is the party leader, she is not herself an elected member of the BC Conservative caucus and therefore, according to Rattée, does not have the authority to remove caucus members.

The dispute follows broader internal instability within the BC Conservative Party. The Global News account states that nine MLAs have left the party since August, a pattern that appears to have been a central part of the context for Findlay’s Friday announcement.

According to the same reporting, Rattée’s statement referenced allegations and concerns that have circulated within the party, including claims of serious concerns with leadership, allegations involving paid positions in connection with MLA resignations, senior staff involvement in scandals, and refusals to communicate with caucus members to address issues.

In addition to the departures, the report describes allegations that surfaced Thursday involving a former director of the BC Conservative Party. Those allegations say the director hired a private investigator to look into 14 people, including party members and a Victoria-based journalist.

The reporting also notes that Rustad and Halford have not spoken publicly about Findlay’s announcement. Meanwhile, Findlay issued no additional remarks beyond her statement on Friday, including language that rejected internal conflict and urged party members to focus on building the movement and supporting the party.