Richmond-Bridgeport MLA Teresa Wat and Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day announced they are leaving the B.C. Conservative Party to sit as Independents on Aug. 26. Their departures bring the total number of MLAs who have left the party to five in about two weeks.
Day said he decided to leave the party because he disagrees with the direction new leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay is taking.
“I have lost confidence in the judgement, conduct, and ethical standards of her leadership and those she has chosen to surround herself with,” Day said in an Aug. 26 statement.
“Public office demands integrity. I cannot ask others to meet that standard while remaining silent when I believe my own party’s leadership has fallen short of it.”
Day previously ran as a B.C. Liberal candidate in 2020, before the party was rebranded as B.C. United and before it merged with the B.C. Conservatives, but lost that election. He was elected in the October 2024 election as a B.C. Conservative.
Wat announced her decision in an Aug. 26 statement, citing “serious and unfounded accusations” that Findlay made about her during the party’s leadership race.
“These remarks were distasteful, hurtful and made me question my place in the BC Conservatives under her leadership,” Wat remarked.
Findlay alleged in a group chat message on May 6, during the Conservative leadership race, that Wat was associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The anonymous Findlay Files social media account on July 29 posted an alleged screenshot of Findlay’s message, which was posted three weeks before Findlay won the leadership of the B.C. Conservatives on May 30.
“Remember that WeChat is China Govt controlled, and Teresa Watt MLA is CCP & sold many memberships to CCP Chinese in Richmond,” reads the message. “The Chinese community that supports us knows this.”
After the message surfaced, Findlay said in a social media post on July 30 that she spoke with Wat earlier that day and that the MLA “serves as our steadfast Critic for Multiculturalism and Community Partnerships.”
“I appreciated the opportunity to express my gratitude for her support and dedication,” Findlay wrote. “As the Conservative Party of British Columbia continues to gain momentum, increased scrutiny and political attacks are inevitable. But we will not allow them to distract or divide us.”
Wat said in her Aug. 26 statement that she was travelling with her family in July when reports emerged that Findlay had made the comments about her. Wat said she decided to ignore it at the time. She said she spoke briefly with Findlay, “who did not apologize and wanted to focus on what’s ahead of us.”
The MLA said she herself then “decided to try to move on,” and it wasn’t until she recently returned home that she understood the full extent and reach of the comments. She said she had friends and community members telling her they didn’t believe “these false allegations and were shocked no apology was issued.”
“I realized that these allegations had caused real damage to my reputation and had created serious concern within the community,” Wat said.
Wat was first elected as an MLA with the B.C. Liberals in 2013. She served as the minister of international trade and minister responsible for the Asia Pacific strategy and multiculturalism under Premier Christy Clark from 2013 to 2017. During her tenure as a minister and later as an opposition MLA when the B.C. Liberals lost power, she appeared at events with Chinese consular officials on multiple occasions.
She was among the first to jump ship from the B.C. United caucus to join the B.C. Conservatives in 2024 as the party rose in the polls to overtake the B.C. United.
In a statement on Aug. 26, Findlay disputed Wat’s claim, saying she apologized to her directly on July 29 and prepared a statement addressing her remaining concerns on Aug. 24. Findlay said Wat was “supportive of its contents.”
Elected leader of the B.C. Conservative Party Kerry-Lynne Findlay speaks during leadership election night in Vancouver on May 30, 2026. The Canadian Press/Ethan Cairns
“I was prepared to publicly address the matter in good faith. MLA Wat’s resignation post this morning was made without any prior communication to me,” Findlay said.
“I am disappointed in MLA Wat’s actions after making repeated efforts to address her concerns directly and in good faith.”
Findlay added that Wat’s decision to leave the party is a “betrayal of the hardworking volunteers, campaign workers and voters who helped get her elected” as a B.C. Conservative MLA.
Findlay also said on Aug. 26 that she has fired the party’s director of operations.
In a previous statement on Aug. 25, Findlay said that the party will open nominations to fill recent vacancies.
“Our door is open to those who want to build, not tear down. The work of renewing British Columbia continues without distraction,” she said.
Other MLAs Who Quit
Rosalyn Bird, the B.C. MLA for Prince George-Valemount, announced on Aug. 25 that she was quitting the B.C. Conservatives to sit as an Independent. Bird alluded to the party’s values and political infighting as points of contention for her.
Ian Paton of Delta South in Victoria announced on Aug. 24 that he was leaving the party to sit as an Independent while helping to form a new political party with fellow ex-Tory Peter Milobar.
Paton said he decided to leave because he felt he was not aligned with Findlay.
Milobar announced on Aug. 14 that he was quitting the B.C. Conservatives to sit as an Independent, saying that his “values don’t align” with the direction Findlay was taking the party.
Milobar, who ran against Findlay in the recent leadership race, had served as the B.C. Conservatives’ finance critic.
