Kerry-Lynne Findlay is the next leader of the B.C. Conservatives.
The 71-year-old former federal MP secured the leadership on Saturday with 51 per cent of the vote.
In her victory speech, Findlay condemned what she called the NDP’s “radical ideology” and “economic vandalism.”
“We can be a powerhouse in our nation – a powerhouse no longer denied by eastern and global elites, predatory foreign nations and our own constitution,” she said.
She wrapped up her speech by borrowing a frequent refrain of U.S. conservative Christians, saying “Faith, family and freedom, that’s what it’s all about.”
Findlay secured the win after four rounds of vote counting. The party used ranked ballots, with the winner needing at least 50 per cent of the vote.
Political commentator Caroline Elliott finished a close second, with 49 per cent in the final round.
Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar was dropped from the ballot after the first round of voting, after securing 10.5 per cent of the vote. Fulmer was knocked out in the second round with close to 14 per cent, and Ian Black was eliminated after receiving 30 per cent in the third round.
The final days of Findlay’s campaign were clouded by media reports alleging she is the subject of a probe into federal election wrongdoing, including undeclared campaign services and foreign nationals canvassing.
Findlay denied the allegations as false and said she had not been notified of any investigation related to the 2025 federal election.
Findlay was born in Ladysmith, B.C. and is married to Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman.
She was first elected in 2011 as the federal Conservative MP for Delta-Richmond East. She served as the Minister of National Revenue in then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet.
After several years in and out of federal politics, she lost the Delta riding in the 2025 election.
Voting in the leadership race closed at 8 a.m. on Friday. Party executive director Angelo Isidorou said on Thursday that 25,000 votes had been cast, representing 95 per cent of eligible voters.
The B.C. Conservatives have grappled with internal tensions and upheaval over the past year. Since last spring, six members have either left or been kicked out of caucus.
John Rustad stepped down as leader in December after a majority of caucus members voted to remove him.
Surrey White-Rock MLA Trevor Halford had been serving as interim leader of the party.
“I’m proud of the work that we’ve done,” said Halford on Wednesday, a day before the legislature broke for the summer.
“I think I’ve accomplished a few things I wanted to do, and that is to set our party on a better path, to set our caucus in a much more stabilized way,” he said.
