what the hell is happening in b.c. politics right now?
September 22, 2026 — verified as of today
If you're in B.C. and haven't been following provincial politics closely, you may want to pay attention now.
I certainly had to stop and figure out what the hell was happening.
Today, Premier David Eby officially called a snap provincial election for October 24, 2026 — less than two years after the last provincial election. And this comes after weeks of extraordinary upheaval inside the B.C. Conservative opposition.
And if you live in Surrey South, there's another particularly strange piece of this story.
the people
Kerry-Lynne Findlay is a longtime Conservative politician and former federal Conservative MP. In May 2026, she became leader of the B.C. Conservatives.
She resigned as B.C. Conservative leader on September 20, after more than a dozen MLAs had left or been expelled from the party's caucus during her short leadership. She did not announce that she was leaving the Conservative Party itself; she said she would remain the Conservative candidate in the Abbotsford-Mission by-election. Lorne Doerkson subsequently became interim leader.
And here's the part that made me stop:
Brent Chapman is Findlay's husband.
Chapman is the MLA for Surrey South, elected as a B.C. Conservative in 2024. Elections B.C. confirms that he won that riding in the 2024 provincial election.
And today, September 22, Chapman announced that he was leaving the B.C. Conservatives and joining OneBC.
CTV reports that Chapman said the party he was asked to run for by then-leader John Rustad had become unrecognizable to him. He also specifically said the turmoil had become personal because he had watched his wife endure attacks from people she had previously worked alongside.
So, in two days:
September 20: Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigns as B.C. Conservative leader.
September 22: Her husband, Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman, leaves the B.C. Conservatives and joins OneBC.
September 22: David Eby calls the provincial election for October 24.
That is not speculation. Those events have happened.
and the Conservative caucus?
This is where it gets even stranger.
During Findlay's roughly four months as leader, more than a dozen MLAs left or were expelled from the Conservative caucus. Several of those MLAs formed or joined CentreBC, led by Peter Milobar.
But today's election call immediately changed the situation again.
Seven CentreBC MLAs are now rejoining the B.C. Conservatives, according to a Canadian Press report published today. Eleanor Sturko is reported to be the sole CentreBC MLA not returning to the Conservative caucus.
So the political map is literally changing while the election is being called.
and Brent Chapman has a history people should know about
This isn't the first time Chapman has been at the centre of controversy.
During the 2024 provincial campaign, old social-media posts resurfaced in which Chapman made deeply offensive comments about Palestinians and Muslims. He apologized and said those views did not represent who he was at the time of the 2024 campaign.
Additional old posts then surfaced in which he questioned whether several mass shootings had actually occurred. Chapman subsequently stated that the Quebec City mosque shooting, Sandy Hook, Aurora and the Orlando nightclub shooting were real mass shootings in which innocent people died, and said he wished they had never happened.
These are documented controversies, not rumours. His explanations and apologies are also part of the public record.
and now we have an election
David Eby went to Government House today and asked Lt.-Gov. Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia to dissolve the legislature.
The provincial election will be held Saturday, October 24, 2026.
And here's something that many people may not realize:
B.C. is already holding its municipal elections on October 17.
So voters in Surrey and elsewhere will potentially be dealing with municipal voting on October 17 and provincial voting one week later on October 24.
That's a lot of political information for voters to absorb in a very short period.
one important distinction
There are now several different political groups on the B.C. right:
B.C. Conservatives — the official Opposition party, currently led on an interim basis by Lorne Doerkson.
CentreBC — the breakaway group led by Peter Milobar. Seven of its MLAs have now agreed to return to the Conservative caucus following today's election call, according to Canadian Press.
OneBC — the party Chapman is joining today. It does not currently have official party status in the legislature.
So when someone says "the Conservatives," it is worth asking which Conservatives?
what I am watching now
I'm particularly interested in what happens next in Surrey South.
Brent Chapman is no longer a B.C. Conservative, and the provincial election has now been called.
I also want to find out who is actually running for the B.C. Greens, NDP, Conservatives, OneBC and any other parties in Surrey South, because this is going to be a very different ballot from the one people might have expected a few days ago.
And that is precisely why I'm writing this down.
Not to tell anyone how to vote.
Not to predict who will win.
Just to document what is happening while it is happening.
Because I suspect a lot of British Columbians are going to wake up and say:
"Wait... what happened?"
And honestly?
That's what I said today too. 🤨🤔🤐😬
disclosure: This post grew out of a conversation I had with ChatGPT on September 22, 2026. I asked it to help me understand the rapidly changing political situation in B.C. I then asked it to verify the information against current news reports. I have tried to distinguish documented facts from allegations, political claims and uncertainty. This is a developing story, so information may change or be corrected. I am documenting what I know as of today, not endorsing any party or candidate.
