How eight defections, a leadership handover and an Elections B.C. calendar quirk have put British Columbia on the edge of a fall campaign.
CentreBC, the new centrist party formed by defectors from the B.C. Conservative caucus, confirmed on Friday that eight sitting MLAs have signed on and that Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar will lead them. The announcement, made in Vancouver as the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention wound down, instantly made CentreBC the third-largest group in the British Columbia legislature and landed at the precise moment speculation hardened that Premier David Eby is preparing to call a snap election two years ahead of schedule.
The day’s events capped weeks of turmoil inside the official Opposition. With three more MLAs leaving the B.C. Conservatives in the hours before the CentreBC event, the total number of departures since Kerry-Lynne Findlay became leader has reached 12 — a level of caucus attrition rarely seen in a Canadian legislature outside of an outright party split.
The Eight MLAs Who Signed On With CentreBC
Milobar named the confirmed members at the Vancouver announcement and said more could follow. The eight sitting MLAs now identified with the party are:
- Peter Milobar — MLA for Kamloops Centre and the party’s newly installed leader.
- Bruce Banman
- Rosalyn Bird
- Ian Paton
- Elenore Sturko
- Áʼa꞉líya Warbus
- Teresa Wat
- Donegal Wilson
Karin Kirkpatrick also appeared in the group photograph taken at the announcement alongside Milobar and outgoing leader Mike Bernier, though she was not among the eight names confirmed as CentreBC members. Speaking to reporters, Sturko framed the new party’s pitch simply, saying it would put professionalism and British Columbians first.
Why Mike Bernier Stepped Aside for Milobar
Bernier, who had been leading CentreBC, gave up the post so that Milobar could take over as head of the unified group. The handover matters for a practical reason: Bernier does not currently hold a seat. He represented Peace River South for more than a decade before being defeated by B.C. Conservative candidate Larry Neufeld in the 2024 provincial election.
Installing a sitting MLA as leader gives CentreBC a voice on the floor of the legislature and a recognised presence in question period — and, if an election is called within days, a leader who can campaign as an incumbent rather than as a candidate seeking a way back in.
Twelve Departures Since Kerry-Lynne Findlay Took Over
The exodus from the B.C. Conservatives accelerated sharply in the 24 hours before the CentreBC launch. Former leader John Rustad, Trevor Halford and MLA Rattée all left or were removed from the caucus, pushing the running total of departures under Findlay’s leadership to 12.
Rustad’s account of how it happened underscored the disorder. He said he received a text message from Findlay on Thursday night telling him he had been removed from caucus, followed roughly 15 minutes later by a second text rescinding it. On Friday morning, party member Heather Maahs notified the legislature clerk’s office that Rustad, Halford and Rattée were no longer part of the Conservative caucus. Rustad summarised the experience as being kicked out twice in the span of 12 hours, and said he would hold a news conference in Victoria on Monday with further details. He had earlier signalled on social media that a press release was coming.
Rustad’s position is itself a reminder of how quickly the party’s internal politics have turned. He has served as MLA for Nechako Lakes since 2009 and led the Conservatives until roughly a year ago, when he was deemed “professionally incapacitated” by the party and replaced as leader by Halford. Both men are now outside the caucus.
Findlay’s Answer: ‘No Room for Internal Power Struggles or Vanity Projects’
Findlay issued a statement shortly after Milobar and Bernier spoke, confirming the three departures and pivoting immediately to campaign readiness. She described the B.C. Conservative Party as the only free-enterprise team with a fully funded campaign capable of taking on the NDP, and said the focus now is on building the movement and preparing to win.
“Our caucus and grassroots are ready, and we’re building a strong team of candidates,” the statement said. “There’s no room for internal power struggles or vanity projects. If your priority is building the movement, and supporting the Conservative Party of B.C., you are welcome.”
Findlay is simultaneously fighting her own campaign: she is contesting the Abbotsford-Mission byelection scheduled for Sept. 26.
Milobar’s Pitch: Competence Over Culture Wars
Asked how he would answer the inevitable charge from both the NDP and the Conservatives that CentreBC is a rebooted B.C. Liberal Party, Milobar did not dispute the lineage so much as embrace the strategy behind it. “The only way you form government in B.C. is doing exactly what we’re doing,” he said, arguing the party would concentrate on economic and public safety questions and was not interested in culture-war fights.
He pointed to a gap he believes is wide open in the province’s politics, saying 51 per cent of people feel they do not have a party. He said competence and focus would be the dividing line with the Conservatives, a party he predicted would “lean more and more into the culture wars.” CentreBC, he said, intends to field candidates province-wide.
Centre-right parties that are fiscally conservative while largely steering clear of social-issue debates have governed British Columbia for decades under a series of different names. A snap election would be the first real test of whether that formula still commands a plurality — a question of realignment that has surfaced elsewhere in the country too, as the backlash over Alberta’s separation referendum that flipped Calgary-Shaw to the NDP demonstrated.
The Elections B.C. Calendar Math Pointing to Oct. 24
Eby sidestepped the election question during his UBCM speech and news conference, offering only that he had no announcements to make about an election that day, along with a few jokes about the anxiety local politicians face over potentially duelling campaigns. But the calendar is doing a lot of the talking.
Elections B.C., the non-partisan agency that administers provincial votes, has published a possible date scenario for an on-demand general election. Under it, the earliest voting day is Saturday, Oct. 24, provided the election is called before Sept. 22. The NDP is widely understood to prefer not to wait until after the Sept. 26 Abbotsford-Mission byelection that Findlay is contesting. And a call issued on Sept. 23, 24 or 25 would push voting day to Halloween — a date no party wants to hand to parents of young children.
That narrow set of options is why most observers in Vancouver were pencilling in an election call within four days, with a general voting day of Oct. 24.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim Asks Eby to Wait for the Oct. 17 Municipal Vote
Not everyone wants the starting gun fired that quickly. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, through his ABC party, urged the premier to hold off until after the Oct. 17 municipal elections held across the province are complete, arguing that the principle of separate election cycles should not be discarded for reasons of political timing.
“We’re asking the premier to respect the local election period the same way past provincial governments have, and to keep the focus where it belongs: on delivering real solutions for people in Vancouver and across B.C.,” Sim said. He is among several local leaders making the same request.
How a Municipal Convention Turned Into an Election War Room
The timing produced an unusual scene. The annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention had drawn nearly every politician in the province to the Vancouver Convention Centre for five days of public debate, resolution sessions and receptions. Instead, much of it gave way to closed-door meetings between parties and strategists and a steady churn of speculation as delegates absorbed the prospect of an imminent provincial campaign.
For municipal officials heading into their own Oct. 17 votes, the overlap is more than an inconvenience — it means competing for volunteers, donors and public attention with a provincial campaign running on top of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has a B.C. election actually been called?
No. As of Sept. 18, Eby said he had not made a decision and had no announcement to make.
Why is Oct. 24 the date being discussed?
Elections B.C. has published a possible date scenario showing Oct. 24 as the earliest voting day if an election is called before Sept. 22.
How many MLAs have left the B.C. Conservatives?
Twelve have departed since Kerry-Lynne Findlay became leader, including Rustad, Halford and Rattée on the day of the CentreBC announcement.
Where does the Abbotsford-Mission byelection fit in?
It is scheduled for Sept. 26 and Findlay is a candidate. An election call before that date would occur while her byelection campaign is still under way.
Is John Rustad joining CentreBC?
Not specified. He was not among the eight confirmed members and has said he will hold a news conference in Victoria on Monday.
