Another B.C. Conservative MLA Leaves the Party — the Sixth in Two Weeks

Bruce Banman, a provincial politician representing Abbotsford South in British Columbia, announced Thursday he is leaving the B.C. Conservative party group to sit as an Independent. (Lake Country Calendar)

Banman disclosed his departure in a statement issued August 27, 2026. He is the sixth B.C. Conservative MLA to leave the party group in two weeks. (The Globe and Mail; Lake Country Calendar)

His most recent public income filing, dated March 7, 2025, lists his MLA salary and allowances from the Province of British Columbia as his source of income. That filing stays the same after his move, because MLA pay is set by law, not by which party an MLA belongs to. (Legislative Assembly of British Columbia)

Banman's exit follows that of Ian Paton, another B.C. Conservative MLA, who announced on Monday, August 25 that he too would leave the party group to sit as an Independent. (The Tyee; CBC News)

The departures have already forced Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay to reassign her party's critics. In a legislature, a critic is an MLA assigned to keep an eye on a specific area of government, like health or finance, and to ask tough questions about it. On August 24, Findlay gave out new critic assignments after two MLAs holding major roles quit the party, with McInnis tapped to lead policy development. (Kimberley Bulletin)

Findlay did not mince words about the departures. She called the MLAs who left her party "selfish." (CBC News)

The broader context here is one of caucus stability. When a party loses six members in two weeks, it becomes harder to function as a group. Fewer MLAs means fewer people to ask questions during daily debates, to sit on committees, and to vote on important bills. The reassignment Findlay did on August 24 was a practical response to losing members who held key roles, not just a cosmetic change. When an MLA carrying a critic file leaves, the knowledge that person built up on the topic goes with them, and the leader has to rebuild that capacity on the fly.

For Banman specifically, the move means he continues to represent Abbotsford South under the same mandate voters gave him, but without the shared staff and resources that come with being in a party group. His contact information, including his official MLA email, stays the same. (Legislative Assembly of British Columbia)

What remains unresolved is whether more MLAs will leave. Findlay's decision to publicly call departing colleagues "selfish" points to a leader under pressure, and the sharp tone suggests the fractures within the group are not being handled quietly. Each departure also raises the question of whether sitting as an Independent is a final move or a stepping stone toward joining another party, something that has happened before in B.C. politics. The facts available here do not speak to any such plan.

For the current session of the B.C. legislature, the practical effect is a smaller Conservative group, a growing number of Independents, and a leader who has had to rebuild her team twice in under a week.