Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned as the leader of the BC Conservatives on Sunday, stepping down after just 113 days in the role following the membership vote in May.
uncertain
Findlay → resign → May
Her decision to resign came after mounting calls from MLAs who left party caucus and several decisions she herself said she would have made differently “with the benefit of hindsight.”
But how did the party that elected her get to the point it has no party leader?
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it → resign → leader
As the prospect of a snap election looms over the province, here is what led to Findlay’s resignation.
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what → lead → resignation
Kerry-Lynne Findlay is voted in as the new leader, receiving 51 per cent of the vote after four rounds of voting.
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Findlay → vote → voting
Caroline Elliott comes in second with 49 per cent.
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Elliott → come → cent
Findlay appoints several loyalists to key positions, naming Heather Maahs as interim leader of the Official Opposition, replacing Trevor Halford.
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Findlay → appoint → Halford
She also appoints Steve Kooner and Anna Kindy, who endorsed Findlay during the leadership race, as “lieutenant” positions for stakeholder relations and Vancouver Island respectively.
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who → appoint → relations
Several high-profile Conservative staff depart or are let go from the party, including Dion Weisner as director of research, and the BC Conservatives’ executive director Angelo Isidorou, who resigned.
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who → depart → research
The former said he was let go by the caucus chief of staff, but that “ultimately everything” was at Findlay’s direction.
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everything → say → direction
He also claimed there had been a 50 per cent turnover of caucus staff since Findlay came to power.
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Findlay → claim → power
Isidorou said he was leaving on “amicable and mutual terms.”
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he → say → terms
Rosalyn Bird, MLA for Prince George-Valemount, says she was asked to step down to give Findlay the chance to run for a seat in the B.C. legislature.
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she → say → legislature
West-Vancouver Capilano MLA Lynne Block and Delta South MLA Ian Paton say they also rejected requests.
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they → say → requests
Aug. 14: Peter Milobar announces he is quitting the BC Conservative caucus to sit as an independent and cites a lack of alignment with Findlay.
Aug. 22:
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he → announce → Findlay
Reann Gasper resigns from the party caucus to give Findlay the chance to run for a seat.
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Gasper → resign → seat
Questions are raised when Findlay says Gasper will become her deputy chief of staff.
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Gasper → raise → staff
Aug. 24: Ian Paton leaves caucus to sit as an independent, but also announces he plans to form a new centre-right political party with Milobar.
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Aug. 25: Rosalyn Bird says she will sit as an independent, saying the party was moving too far to the right than she would like.
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she → leave → right
Teresa Wat and Brennan Day both announce they will sit as independents.
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they → announce → independents
Wat accused Findlay of reneging on a promise to apologize over “serious and unfounded accusations” made by the leader about Wat, calling her “CCP” in reference to the Chinese Communist Party.
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Wat → accuse → Party
Wat said she could not stay in a party whose leader questioned her loyalty to Canada.
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leader → say → Canada
Day said he had lost confidence in the judgment, conduct and ethical standards of Findlay’s leadership and those around her.
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he → say → her
Bruce Banman becomes the seventh MLA to resign from caucus, and sixth to criticize Findlay in their departure.
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Banman → become → departure
He said Findlay was “unelectable” and urged other MLAs to join him.
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Findlay → say → him
Audio recording surfaces on social media of Findlay allegedly offering “senior advisor” role to any MLA who would resign so she can run to enter legislature.
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she → surface → legislature
Findlay called it “preposterous.”
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Findlay → call → it
The B.C. RCMP say they’re aware of the purported recording.
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they → say → recording
It is illegal under the Criminal Code to negotiate a reward or benefit related to resignation from political office.
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It → negotiate → office
Findlay said a caucus meeting would be held Aug. 30.
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meeting → say → ?
A byelection is called for Reann Gasper’s now vacant seat of Abbotsford-Mission.
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byelection → call → Mission
Findlay said she would run for the party in the vote.
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she → say → vote
Findlay cancels the caucus meeting and the planned news conference set for Aug. 31.
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Findlay → cancel → Aug.
Aug. 31: Áʼa꞉líya Warbus leaves caucus, saying she’s lost confidence in the party under Findlay.
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she → leave → Findlay
She cited the cancellation of the caucus meeting and Gasper’s resignation to make way for Findlay among her reasons.
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She → cite → reasons
- Ontario truckers warn rising diesel prices will mean more expensive groceries
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prices → warn → groceries
Nearly 1 in 4 Canadian households live in unaffordable housing, StatCan says
- Trump says he wants potash from Belarus for ‘subtantially less’ than Canada
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he → live → less
Ontario NDP asks auditor general to investigate Staples education contract
Sept. 1:
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NDP → ask → contract
Ian Paton says he’s been asked to speak to the RCMP.
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he → say → RCMP
He said he suspects it’s about his allegation chief of staff Chris Delaney allegedly said if Paton stepped down so Findlay could run, he’d be given an advisory position.
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he → say → position
Donegal Wilson and Scott McInnis leave the party, both citing Findlay’s leadership.
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both → leave → leadership
The BC Conservative leader says Chris Delaney has resigned as her chief of staff and has appointed Reann Gasper as his replacement.
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Delaney → say → replacement
…and 14 more, not listed.
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