Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman has left the BC Conservatives to join OneBC.
The move comes just days after his wife, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, resigned as leader of the former party following weeks of internal pressure.
"I have been a member of the Conservative Party of BC for 15 years," Chapman wrote in a statement. "When John Rustad personally asked me to run as a candidate, I took that seriously. I understood that I was being asked because I reflected the principles and values the party wanted to represent."
He argued that while he initially "believed the Conservative name meant something, and that the principles and values we put before British Columbians in 2024 gave the party a clear sense of purpose and direction," over time it "became clear to [him] that we did not all share the same understanding of those principles or of the platform we had run on."
"The disagreements within caucus, and increasingly in public, made that difficult to ignore," Chapman continued. "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. I believed the party was still worth fighting for."
He cited the leadership race and what transpired in the three months afterwards as the things that "left [him] questioning whether [he] could continue to have a place in this party."
"The last few months have also made this deeply personal for me," Chapman explained. "I have watched my wife, Kerry- Lynne, endure attacks from people she once stood beside. I have watched people determined to tear down someone who has spent decades serving her community, her province, and her country."
He noted that "there are still good people in the Conservative Party of BC caucus I'm blessed to call friends," and that he "will not forget" his time there.
"I do not know exactly what the future holds, but I have to hold true to the principles that brought me here in the first place," Chapman concluded. "I know that I cannot continue as part of this party."
More to come...
