Race Overview

The 2026 Conservative Party of British Columbia leadership race followed John Rustad's resignation on December 4, 2025, after a caucus revolt in which 20 of 39 MLAs declared they had lost confidence in his leadership. Rustad said he was stepping aside to avoid "a civil war" within the party. His tenure had been marked by the departure of five MLAs — including removals and resignations over incidents ranging from residential school comments to internal conflicts — and persistent tensions between moderate former BC Liberals and more right-leaning members. Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford was appointed interim leader.

Kerry-Lynne Findlay — a former federal Conservative MP and Minister of National Revenue — won on the fourth ballot with 4,696.51 points (51%) to Caroline Elliott's 4,514.49 points (49%). Each of British Columbia's 93 provincial ridings was allocated 100 points, for a theoretical total of 9,300 — though abstentions reduced the actual total to 9,211. Of 41,718 members who had joined by the April 18 cutoff, 26,273 verified their identity by May 20, and 25,695 cast ballots — a turnout of approximately 98% among verified members. Online voting ran from May 23 to May 30, and results were announced at the Rocky Mountaineer Station in Vancouver on May 30, 2026.

Rules and Process

The race used a preferential ballot with a points-per-riding system. Each of British Columbia's 93 provincial ridings was allocated 100 points, distributed proportionally based on each candidate's share of the vote within that riding. Members ranked candidates in order of preference. After each round of counting, the candidate with the fewest points was eliminated and their supporters' next preferences were redistributed, continuing until one candidate exceeded 50% of total points. Four rounds were required before Findlay crossed the threshold.

The leadership election committee, a seven-person body formed in January 2026, set the rules for the contest. The race initially drew eleven declared candidates. Six exited before the ballot: MLA Sheldon Clare failed to gather the required 250 member signatures; MLA Steve Kooner withdrew on February 27 and endorsed Findlay; MLAs Bruce Banman and Harman Bhangu suspended their campaigns in mid-March, endorsing Fulmer and Elliott respectively; former Pattison Food Group president Darrell Jones exited on March 28 to back Elliott; and contractor Warren Hamm dropped out on April 12 endorsing Fulmer. Five candidates remained on the final ballot. The membership cutoff to vote was April 18, 2026, and identity verification closed on May 20. Online voting on a secret ballot ran from May 23 through the morning of May 30.

Candidates

Kerry-Lynne Findlay

Born January 12, 1955, in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Findlay grew up on Vancouver Island in a working-class family — one of six children of a self-employed electrician. She graduated from Crofton House School in Vancouver, earned a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from the University of British Columbia in 1975, and completed her law degree at UBC in 1978. She practiced law in Vancouver for over three decades, establishing her own practice in 1981 before joining larger firms.

Findlay was first elected to federal Parliament in 2011 as the MP for Delta-Richmond East. Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, she served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, Associate Minister of National Defence, and Minister of National Revenue. After losing her seat in 2015, she returned to Parliament in 2019 as the MP for South Surrey-White Rock, serving until 2025.

Findlay entered the leadership race running on a platform of tax cuts, reduced regulation, private property rights, and social conservative values — emphasizing "faith, family, and freedom." She led from the first ballot with 30.5% of points, steadily increasing her share through each round to 32.2%, 38.6%, and finally 51%. She was strongest on Vancouver Island, in the Fraser Valley, and in rural British Columbia, winning the majority of ridings in every round.

Caroline Elliott

Elliott grew up in Surrey, British Columbia, and earned a PhD from Simon Fraser University specializing in aboriginal self-government and liberal democracy. She taught provincial politics at SFU and spent several years at BC Hydro, where she played a key role in advancing the environmental assessment for the Site C dam project. Earlier in her career, she worked in the BC Legislature for the Gordon Campbell government, advising the ministers of Transportation and Environment.

A well-known political commentator and senior fellow at a public policy think-tank, Elliott had been involved with BC United (formerly the BC Liberal Party) for 20 years as both a ministerial staffer and party volunteer. She entered the leadership contest in January 2026, positioning herself as a populist candidate. She finished second in every round, rising from 25.8% to 28.6%, 31.3%, and finally 49% — the narrowest margin of any BC leadership contest in recent memory.

Iain Black

Born in 1967, Black moved to British Columbia in 1994 after a career in the technology sector, beginning with IBM Canada. He founded E-Z Net, an Internet services company, and later served as CEO of The Electric Mail Company. He was first elected to the BC Legislature in 2005 as a BC Liberal MLA for Port Moody-Westwood, succeeding Christy Clark. He served in cabinet under Premier Gordon Campbell as Minister of Labour and Citizens' Services (2008-2009), Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development (2009-2010), and Minister of Labour (2010-2011).

Black resigned from the legislature in 2011 to become president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, serving until 2019. In the 2025 federal election, he ran unsuccessfully as a Conservative candidate in Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam. He entered the leadership race in January 2026, positioning himself alongside Milobar as a moderate, big-tent conservative. He finished third in every round, rising from 20.3% to 25.3% and 30% before elimination in Round 3.

Yuri Fulmer

Born May 5, 1974, in Perth, Australia, to a Canadian father and Australian mother, Fulmer moved to Vancouver in 1992. He built his career in the food and hospitality industry, acquiring his first A&W Canada restaurant in 1997 and expanding his holdings across Western Canada. He acquired and revitalized the Mr. Mikes Steakhouse chain before selling it in 2010. He currently chairs Fulmer & Company and serves as global chair of United Way Worldwide and chancellor of Capilano University.

A member of the Order of British Columbia and recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, Fulmer ran as a BC Conservative candidate in West Vancouver-Sea to Sky in the 2024 provincial election, losing to the Green Party's Jeremy Valeriote. He entered the leadership race in January 2026, aligning with the more populist wing of the party. He finished fourth in Round 1 with 13% and was eliminated in Round 2 with 13.9%.

Peter Milobar

Born February 13, 1970, in Edmonton, Milobar was raised in Kamloops and has served the city in public life for two decades. He was elected mayor of Kamloops at age 38 in 2008 and served three consecutive terms until 2017, becoming the city's longest-serving mayor. He also chaired the Thompson-Nicola Regional District from 2006 to 2011.

Milobar was first elected to the BC Legislature in 2017 as a BC Liberal MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, narrowly winning re-election in 2020 by fewer than 200 votes. He crossed to the BC Conservatives in 2024 and was re-elected as MLA for Kamloops Centre. He served as opposition critic for Finance and as opposition House Leader. He entered the leadership race in January 2026 as a moderate, pragmatic candidate but finished last in Round 1 with 10.5%, dominating only his home ridings of Kamloops Centre and Kamloops-North Thompson before being eliminated.

Campaign and Debates

The race was shaped by the central tension that had defined BC right-of-centre politics since the collapse of the BC Liberal coalition: should the Conservative Party pursue a big-tent approach appealing to moderate and centrist voters, or embrace a more populist, socially conservative identity? Black and Milobar represented the moderate wing, drawing on their BC Liberal backgrounds and emphasizing electability and pragmatic governance. Findlay, Elliott, and Fulmer signaled a more populist approach, seeking to distance the party from the BC Liberal legacy.

Two major debates punctuated the campaign. On April 8, Juno News hosted a debate at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster, moderated by Conservative MP Aaron Gunn and former BC Conservative staffer Lindsay Shepherd. Findlay, Fulmer, Black, and Hamm attended, but Elliott and Milobar declined — drawing sharp criticism from Findlay, who said "leaders lead by example" and "should be able to explain and debate their positions." Premier David Eby criticized the candidates for appearing at the event. A second debate was held at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Vancouver later in April, where all five candidates participated. Findlay raised conflict-of-interest allegations against Milobar regarding the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) — a signature policy divide, given that Milobar's wife and children are Indigenous. Policy debates ranged across tax policy, property rights, public safety, and the SOGI inclusive education guidelines, with Findlay pledging to "protect our children" and opposing the guidelines.

Findlay's consistent first-place finishes across all four rounds reflected her broad geographic appeal beyond the Lower Mainland. Elliott's steady climb through the rounds showed her ability to consolidate second-choice support, but Findlay's lead among Vancouver Island and Fraser Valley ridings proved insurmountable. The final-round margin of just 182 points — 51% to 49% — made it the closest BC leadership contest in memory.

Aftermath

Findlay, who does not hold a seat in the legislature, pledged to run for one as soon as possible. Her husband, Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman, was identified as a potential candidate to step aside to open a seat. She committed to reconciling with the six MLAs who had been removed from or left caucus under Rustad's leadership, scheduling a caucus meeting for the day after the convention.

The NDP government responded sharply. Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside characterized Findlay's politics as aligned with "the politics of Donald Trump." Findlay described her vision as "a grand vision of fundamental change" and positioned herself to lead the official opposition into the next general election.