VICTORIA — The B.C. Conservative Party has confirmed a final list of five candidates vying for its leadership, in a contest that has swollen the party’s membership to more than 42,000.

The party said in a statement that Iain Black, Caroline Elliott, Peter Milobar, Kerry-Lynne Findlay and Yuri Fulmer all paid a final fee of $60,000 to take part in the race to replace former leader John Rustad.

The statement also said the party’s membership roll increased about six-fold from 7,000 in December to 42,000 by the April 18 deadline to sign up new members in time to take part in the vote.

Executive director Angelo Isidorou said the party has “come incredibly far in just a few years,” going from a few hundred members to become what he calls the “largest political party” in B.C. by membership.

“The party is energized, and the party is stepping into a new chapter,” he said in a later interview. “(To) reach 42,000 in such a short amount of time, and across the province, is a really great sign for the health of the movement.”

The party says leadership ballots will be sent on May 9, and the party will be announce its new leader on May 30 at its leadership convention.

The candidates will take part in a debate on Friday in Vancouver.

Isidorou said that debate will generate “tremendous interest” because it will offer a chance to learn more about the candidates and their approaches to uniting the party and defeating the government of Premier David Eby.

The B.C. Conservatives were a fringe movement without a single MLA just a few years ago, before Rustad joined and the party rapidly rose in popularity ahead of the 2024 election, coming within three seats of victory.

Since then it has faced debate about its course, with five MLAs exiting the caucus and sitting as Independents.

Friday’s debate comes against the backdrop of a series of missteps by B.C. Premier David Eby on the future of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, that he has said poses a significant litigation risk to the province, but with First Nations having said it should not be changed.

Eby’s backflips on amending or suspending parts of DRIPA have raised questions about his leadership.

“It feels like a unique moment in time,” Isidorou said. While significant election losses often trigger a change in party leadership, the B.C. Conservatives are in an “odd position, where we almost won,” he said.

“I firmly believe that one of the individuals on that stage on Friday is going to be the next premier,” Isidorou said. “So, they each carry an immense amount of responsibility in setting out a vision that unifies British Columbians and gives British Columbians permission to vote for us.”

Black is a former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister, Elliott is a political commentator, Milobar is a sitting MLA and his party’s finance critic, Kerry-Lynne Findlay is a former federal Conservative MP and minister, while Fulmer is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and current chancellor of Capilano University.

Fulmer’s campaign said on social media last week that it had sold 15,417 new memberships since Jan. 7.

The four other campaigns did not immediately respond to a request about their sign-ups.

Isidorou said the party knows how many new members each campaign signed up, but the party won’t be sharing those numbers publicly. He also declined to confirm or deny Fulmer’s claims.

However, he added, that all campaigns will have access to the complete membership list.

The B.C. Greens’ leadership race that elected Emily Lowan saw 8,641 members cast ballots, while the B.C. NDP did not immediately respond to a request for comment about their membership numbers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2026.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press