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Conservative leader is the antidote to the NDP's extremismKerry-Lynne Findlay is hardly 'divisive,' she represents conventional conservatismLast updated 13 hours ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.ewly elected BC Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay meets with media at the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, B.C., June 2, 2026. (NICK PROCAYLO/PNG) Kerry-Lynne Findlay is the new leader of the Conservative Party of B.C.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorCue the B.C. left-wing hysterics from the ruling provincial NDP, which went into immediate attack mode upon news of Findlay’s win.“Kerry-Lynne Findlay. Too extreme. Even for conservatives,” reads a graphic posted to the B.C. NDP X account within hours of Findlay’s victory. It also refers to Findlay as engaging in “Trump-style politics” and says that “(s)he’s the most extreme, divisive party leader in BC history.”The graphic partly referred to a leadership debate controversy in which Findlay questioned if fellow leadership-hopeful Peter Milobar has a conflict of interest, when it comes to protecting the private property rights of British Columbians, because his wife is Indigenous. (Admittedly, Findlay’s comments did appear to offend many in the party, at least on social media. But not too many — because she won the leadership contest anyways.)This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againLiterally two minutes after this NDP X post went live, Premier David Eby issued a different, bizarre X post that was half congratulations, half insinuation.“Congratulations, @KerryLynneFindl on being elected the leader of the BC Conservative party. British Columbians are served by thoughtful debate, principled leadership, and a commitment to public service. I will work with anyone who is interested in putting people first,” Eby wrote.The first sentence is clear. But the next two sound passive aggressive. Knowing what the party has said about Findlay, it is not a far stretch to infer that Eby does not believe Findlay will engage in “thoughtful debate, principled leadership, and a commitment to public service.”Eby, like his party, has already begun referring to Findlay as “divisive.”“I know that many people are saying that (Findlay) is far right, that she is extreme; I know that she is divisive,” Eby said, when asked about the new leader during a June 2 “Homes for People” news conference. He also suggested that Findlay is beholden to U.S. President Trump: “the job that she’s applying for right now looks a lot more like MAGA regional manager than the premier of British Columbia,” said Eby, without further explanation.So, what’s actually contained in Findlay’s platform? If you read past the NDP hysteria, you’ll find that it’s run-of-the-mill conservatism.Findlay has promised to “remove SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) and ideological activism from classrooms, and support parents’ rights.” She has stated that ideology doesn’t belong in schools, and that parent’s “are the primary decision-makers in their children’s lives.”She has promised to repeal DRIPA, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act legislation, which was passed by the B.C. NDP and which has thrown private property rights in the province into question. “British Columbians must know that their homes, businesses, farms, and land titles are secure. Property rights are the foundation of a free and prosperous province,” reads Findlay’s campaign site.Findlay has also promised to make government smaller, less intrusive in our lives, and less capable of punishing dissenting citizens. This includes her promise to re-hire provincial employees who lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and to “(o)ppose (any future) coercive medical mandates imposed without legislative scrutiny.”She promises to “defend freedom of speech and open debate.”Additionally, Findlay promises to “champion a Western-led, Western-funded approach to critical infrastructure — including pipelines, transmission corridors, ports, rail, and export capacity — to connect Canadian resources to global markets.”None of this is shocking, or even much different than the platforms of each of her defeated conservative running mates. And it all aligns with traditional conservatism.Conservatives have long defended small government, individual rights, freedoms and responsibilities, prudent decision making and private property rights. What is shocking, extreme, and divisive, rather than Findlay or her platform, are the encroachments upon these most basic principles that have been made by Canada’s far left, including the B.C. NDP, over the past decade.We now live in a province where parents fear ideological indoctrination or control of our children in public schools, where citizens can be financially ruined by frivolous human rights tribunal complaints, where property owners face anxiety over the title to their land, and where citizens worry that the government will, as it already has, during the COVID-19 pandemic, exercise such power over their bodily autonomy as to threaten or destroy their livelihoods. These are all extreme and divisive realities — and what Kerry-Lynne Findlay promises to do is to address or rectify them all.Findlay is the opposite of an extremist. When the B.C. NDP, with their tanking polling numbers, attacks her, they also attack a growing mass of B.C. voters who’ve had enough of their political ineptitude, and who recognize Findlay for what she really is: a true conservative, with sensible and relevant ideas.National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.