Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned as leader of the BC Conservatives and the party named MLA Lorne Doerkson as interim leader as speculation grows that Premier David Eby could call an early election.
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Kerry-Lynne Findlay has stepped down as leader of the BC Conservatives, and the party’s board of directors has appointed MLA Lorne Doerkson as interim leader following her resignation.
Findlay made the decision Sunday, according to reporting that her departure came fewer than four months after she won the Conservative leadership contest.
In outlining her resignation, Findlay said it was not an easy decision but that she believed stepping down was the right move for the “movement” in British Columbia.
The leadership change arrives as political observers watch for signs that New Democratic Premier David Eby may call an early election, with Findlay’s exit and Doerkson’s appointment occurring amid that speculation.
Doerkson was named interim leader hours after Findlay resigned, giving the party a new leadership structure while it weighs what an early campaign could mean for its caucus and platform.
The change also reflects recent internal turbulence within the Conservative caucus. Reporting indicates weeks of upheaval, including defections and expulsions, have taken place leading up to the resignation.
One of the most prominent disruptions described in the reporting involved former leader John Rustad, who was ejected from the caucus on Friday and was set to address reporters in Victoria later Monday.
In the meantime, the NDP caucus met late Sunday to discuss Findlay’s resignation, according to the same reporting, again underscoring the extent to which her departure is being treated as a potentially election-relevant development.
Doerkson’s appointment brings a legislator with a prior political path to the role. He was first elected in 2020 in Cariboo–Chilcotin as a member of the B.C. United party, and he was re-elected in 2024.
He later crossed the aisle and joined the Conservatives, and he is now serving as interim leader as the party navigates both leadership transition and recent caucus instability.
For Vancouver and other parts of B.C., the shift matters because it changes who represents the Conservatives during a period when voters may be preparing for a fast-moving election environment, depending on whether an early call is made by the premier.
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