B.C. premier calls byelection in riding where Conservative leader set to run

Findlay was elected party leader in May but her tenure has been far from smooth, with six MLAs leaving her caucus to sit as independents this month, including five in the span of a week.

The defectors have questioned her leadership and the direction in which she is taking the party, with one suggesting she was “unelectable.”

Milobar, along with fellow defector Ian Paton, have said they plan to start a new party after leaving Findlay’s caucus. In an interview Saturday, Milobar said they are still working with Elections BC on the process to become official.

He said both he and Paton want their party to be credible and that people “will want to see more meat on the bone of the party that we’re setting up.”

“If it was three months down the road, I’m fully confident we’d be well equipped to put a good effort in and have a credible candidate and be a force, but we’re not in that situation,” he said.

“We’re five days post announcement (of plans for the new party) and the byelection has been called.”

Alexis was elected as MLA for Abbotsford-Mission in 2020 and previously has been the mayor of Mission.

In a statement released by the party on Saturday, she said the NDP is working on issues like health care and housing while the provincial Conservatives are “focusing on culture wars over the things that matter most.”

Findlay is set to host a press conference in Richmond on Monday with the B.C. Conservative caucus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2026

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

B.C. premier calls byelection in riding where Conservative leader set to run

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