MLA Chapman leaving B.C. Conservatives for One BC
Published 1:11 pm Tuesday, September 22, 2026
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Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman is leaving the Conservative Party of B.C. to join OneBC.
In a statement posted to X, Chapman cited differences in the party now, compared to 2024 when he chose to run.
“Over time, it became clear to me that we did not all share the same understanding of those principles or of the platform we had run on,” he said in the statement. “The disagreements within caucus, and increasingly in public, made that difficult to ignore. I chose to stay because I believed there was still value in working from within to defend the Conservative principles and platform we had put before British Columbians.”
Chapman cited the leadership process and the how the past few months with the party have “made this deeply personal for me,” as he watched his wife, former Conservative Party of B.C. leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay — who stepped down as party leader Sunday (Sept. 20) — “endure attacks from people she once stood beside.”
Findlay stepped down as leader after several tumultuous weeks, in which 14 MLAs left the caucus, by either quitting or being asked to leave.
On the phone Tuesday (Sept. 22), Chapman shared some brief comments.
“I think the Conservative Party has changed quite a bit from the party that I joined years ago. … Conservative values are not the same as they were before,” he said, adding he believes what British Columbia needs right now are the values shared by One BC.
Some of those values, according to the One BC website, include an immediate 50% tax cut on income under $100,000, ending all claims, entitlements, and “racist laws like UNDRIP and DRIPA,” bringing in “Quebec-style control over immigration,” and removing SOGI from classrooms, and “end(ing) the mutilation of children under “gender-affirming care,” as well as keeping “men out of women’s bathrooms and sports teams.”
Chapman didn’t agree with current NDP premier David Eby’s decision to call a snap election Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 22), calling it a cynical move, but “not surprising from this premier.”
“Right over top of a municipal election is quite outrageous, to be honest,” he shared.
When asked if he had any comment on everything that has been happening with the Conservative Party of B.C. over the past several weeks, Chapman laughed, but declined to comment.
When asked if Findlay would join him in moving to One BC, Chapman said that was a question for her.
Peace Arch News has reached out to Findlay.
Moving forward, Chapman said his focus is on the future, with his ultimate goal being “to save British Columbia.”