Two former B.C. Conservatives plan to form new party, steer clear of CentreBC

There are plans for a new party in the British Columbia legislature as politicians return this fall, with two MLAs who recently defected from the provincial Conservatives saying they want to provide an option for frustrated voters.

Ian Paton, who has served as the MLA for Delta South since 2017, announced Monday that he was leaving the Conservative caucus to sit as an Independent.

He’s the second MLA to make the move this month after Peter Milobar, who had been one of the Conservatives’ leading moderate voices, left citing a lack of “ideological alignment” with the party’s new leader, Kerry-Lynne Findlay.

At the time, Milobar said he had concerns about the party’s direction under Findlay, who has pushed the party right and said it will focus on “faith, freedom and family.”

Paton, too, said the direction no longer aligned with his beliefs.

The pair spoke to reporters in Victoria on Monday, saying they planned to register as an official party with Elections BC before the fall legislative session.

“We are in the process of getting things organized. There will be much more to come,” Milobar said.

The former Opposition finance critic said he and Paton could be a party of two, but suggested there could be other defections from the Conservatives.

“I’m hearing and listening from caucus members, and some may still come, some may not. That is their choice and I respect that,” he said.

Milobar said there were real fears around vote splitting, but he and Paton wanted to provide an option for voters who are dissatisfied with the governing New Democrats but “do not see a path forward” with the Conservatives under Findlay.

“It’ll be an uphill climb, absolutely, but it’s one that many, many people over the last week have been reaching out saying that they want to get on board,” he said.

Paton said their intention was to “give a home to those who feel politically homeless” in B.C.

Paton provided few details about his decision to leave, but said he felt there were “eyes” on him under Findlay’s leadership given he was previously a member of the former BC Liberals, then BC United, before joining the Conservatives in 2024.

Paton also said constituents in Delta South had been telling him they weren’t happy with the way the Conservatives were moving, with as many as “eight people or nine people out of 10” approaching him to deliver that message.

“Back in 2017, when (Milobar) and I first ran, 797,000 people voted for a centrist party back then, and I keep asking myself, where are they now?” he said.

“We need those people to come back, and if we can get those people back by being a little bit closer to centre, then we’ve got the tools we need to win an election in (the) future.”

Later Monday, the Conservatives issued a statement announcing changes to their shadow cabinet under Findlay, moving Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew into the role of finance critic, while Misty Van Popta, MLA for Langley-Walnut Grove, assumed the role of deputy whip while continuing as infrastructure critic.

Scott McInnis, MLA for Columbia-River Revelstoke, will lead caucus policy development while remaining in the role of Indigenous relations critic, while Bruce Banman, from Abbotsford South, would add agriculture to his responsibilities along with tourism.

Another party, CentreBC, has already sought to position itself as an alternative for voters dissatisfied with the Conservatives.

Formed in 2025 under Karin Kirkpatrick, a BC United MLA who lost her Metro Vancouver seat to the Conservatives in 2024, the party — which does not have a representative in the legislature — is now led by former BC Liberal cabinet minister Mike Bernier.

“B.C. needs a socially progressive, fiscally responsible choice,” Bernier said in a statement issued after the party’s executive council appointed him leader in July.

But Milobar said MLAs that have sat as Independents and others, including Conservative caucus members who’d reached out to him over the last week, weren’t interested in joining the party.

“People, for whatever reasons, are not choosing to go to that vehicle,” he said Monday.

Milobar said it had become clear “they would prefer something new be created and try to as best as possible create that new energy for the public to get behind.”

Hamish Telford, an associate professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley, said Milobar and Paton’s decision to form a new party instead of joining CentreBC was a mystery.

But he said the party would have an advantage over CentreBC because, with two sitting MLAs, it can obtain official status.

“They’ll be in the hallways, scrumming with reporters and getting their message out. And I rather suspect that others will join them,” he said in an interview.

Paton said he had felt “very comfortable” with the Conservatives before Findlay was elected leader at the end of May, setting off changes.

“There was a purging of a lot of staff members, a purging of our leadership team,” Paton said, adding there was a “different feel” in the caucus.

Executive director Angelo Isidorou, president Aisha Estey and vice president Sharon White have all left their posts in recent weeks.

Abbotsford-Mission MLA Reann Gasper has also resigned to allow Findlay to run for her seat in a byelection.

Findlay thanked Gasper for the “selfless decision” in the Conservatives’ statement on Monday, saying she was grateful for the “incredibly generous offer.”

It said Gasper would move to a leadership role, serving as deputy chief of staff.

In July, MLA Amelia Boultbee quit the Conservatives and joined the NDP.

Telford said it was no surprise the more moderate members were leaving as Findlay pushes the party to be more “purely conservative and populist in tone.”

He said a new party could be detrimental to the Conservatives’ goal of unseating Premier David Eby’s NDP in the next election, as Conservative governments that balance ideologies and focus on economic matters tend to fare better in B.C.

“If people want to campaign on divisive social issues, they’re free to do so, but they probably won’t win an election,” he said.

Stewart Prest, a politics lecturer at the University of B.C., said the recent shifts have built up to an “identity-defining moment” for the Conservatives.

He said the plan for a new party felt like the outcome of a course set by Findlay, whose “bold” vision could backfire if voters see her party as too radical.

It would be a “difficult road” for Milobar and Paton ahead of the next election, Prest said.

“But they have some time now to build out a new strategy and a new identity,” he said, adding he wouldn’t be surprised to see them collaborate with the existing CentreBC party.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2026.

— With files from Brenna Owen

Marissa Birnie, The Canadian Press