Monday September 21, 2026 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The BC Conservative Party has appointed Lorne Doerkson as their interim leader following the resignation of Kerry-Lynne Findlay on Sunday.
Doerkson is the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin. He was first elected in 2020 as a BC Liberal MLA before the party changed its name to BC United, then joined the BC Conservatives in 2024.
He has a moderate seemingly unflappable political style. He is not (yet) a household name with most British Columbians.
Several previous BC Conservative MLAs defected from the party over the last five or six weeks, with Peter Milobar just last week ending up leading CentreBC (after trying to get a new party name).
It’s yet unclear whether BC Conservatives and CentreBC will merge.
NDP Premier David Eby is hoping the disarray on the right side of the political spectrum (BC Conservatives, CentreBC, OneBC) will help him win another NDP majority in the election he is expected to call on Tuesday.
The BC NDP have held government since 2017 (with elections in 2017, 2021 and 2024). Since the US trade war started, Eby has been part of ‘Team Canada’ in alignment with the other provinces in supporting the federal government in reorienting the Canadian economy.