Why Boultbee left the Conservatives
Boultbee says the party she was elected with in 2024 has fundamentally changed:
The promised “big‑tent party gets smaller by the day.”
Under new leader Kerry‑Lynne Findlay, she sees the Conservatives becoming “more consumed with divisive Donald Trump‑style populism than with things that actually matter to people.”
She argues the party is moving “further and further to the right” and offering “no real solutions.”
Boultbee previously left the caucus in 2025 after clashes with former leader John Rustad, citing intimidation, internal dysfunction, and ideological purges.
Why she joined the NDP
Boultbee says her decision is about representing Penticton–Summerland more effectively:
She believes she can deliver better results from the government benches.
She says her constituents “didn’t vote for Trump‑style, divisive politics” now dominating the Conservative opposition.
As an Independent, she found she could work collaboratively with the NDP in ways impossible inside a “whipped caucus.”
Premier David Eby praised her “courage,” saying she stood up for principle and human rights when she left the Conservatives.
What this means in the LegislatureBoultbee’s move gives the NDP 48 seats, expanding its majority, while the B.C. Conservatives fall to 38 seats.