Four Weeks Later: The BC Conservatives Have a Leader. Now They Need a Plan.

By Chad Dashly | The Current

Four weeks ago, BC Conservatives made their choice.

After months of debates, membership drives, endorsements, social media skirmishes, fundraising pitches, and enough internal drama to fuel a reality television series, members elected Kerry-Lynne Findlay as leader of the BC Conservative Party.

The question now isn’t who won.

It’s what happens next.

Leadership races are about ambition. Governing parties are about discipline. Opposition parties hoping to become governments need both.

The BC Conservatives find themselves in an unusual position. For the first time in decades, they are no longer simply a protest movement, a coalition of frustrated voters, or a vehicle for dissatisfaction with the NDP. They are now the Official Opposition and a legitimate contender for government.

That changes everything.

The leadership race exposed both the strengths and weaknesses of the party. On one hand, thousands of new members joined. Volunteers worked tirelessly. Candidates travelled every corner of British Columbia. The race demonstrated that the party has energy, ideas, and grassroots support.

On the other hand, it also revealed divisions that cannot be ignored.

Supporters of Caroline Elliott, Peter Milobar, Yuri Fulmer, Iain Black, Harman Bhangu and others all entered the race with different visions for the future. Some wanted a more populist movement. Others wanted a government-in-waiting. Some emphasized grassroots activism while others focused on economic competence.

Now those factions must become one team.

Because David Eby is not going to defeat himself.

The NDP remains vulnerable on issues that matter to British Columbians: affordability, housing, healthcare access, public safety, addiction, and economic competitiveness. Families continue to struggle with rising costs. Businesses face mounting regulatory burdens. Resource communities worry about their future.

Yet vulnerability does not automatically translate into defeat.

The greatest danger facing the BC Conservatives today is believing that public frustration with the government is enough.

It isn’t.

Voters eventually ask a simple question:

“If not them, then who?”

And increasingly they follow that question with another:

“Can they actually govern?”

That is the challenge before Kerry-Lynne Findlay.

Her immediate task is not ideological. It is organizational.

She must unify the caucus.

She must build a professional campaign structure.

She must recruit credible candidates.

She must expand the donor base.

And perhaps most importantly, she must convince British Columbians that the Conservatives are more than a movement—they are a government-in-waiting.

That means fewer internal battles and more external focus.

British Columbians don’t spend much time thinking about party constitutions, executive elections, nomination disputes, or leadership rivalries. Political insiders obsess over these things. Voters do not.

Voters care about emergency rooms.

They care about housing costs.

They care about whether their children can afford to stay in British Columbia.

They care about crime, taxes, and economic opportunity.

The party that addresses those concerns most effectively will win the next election.

The good news for Conservatives is that they have time.

The next provincial election is not tomorrow.

There is an opportunity to heal divisions, refine policy, strengthen local riding associations, and present a united vision.

The bad news is that time moves quickly in politics.

The honeymoon period following a leadership victory rarely lasts long.

Sooner or later, the media, political opponents, and voters begin asking tougher questions.

What is the plan?

Who is on the team?

How will it be paid for?

What would a Conservative government actually look like?

Those answers must come sooner rather than later.

Four weeks after the leadership race, the BC Conservatives stand at a crossroads.

One path leads toward unity, professionalism, and electoral credibility.

The other leads toward factionalism, score-settling, and missed opportunity.

The choice belongs to the party.

The opportunity belongs to British Columbia.

And the clock is already ticking.