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The pathway for B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay to secure a seat in the legislature is now wide open.

On Saturday, Conservative MLA and Deputy Whip Reann Gasper announced that she will step down as the representative for Abbotsford-Mission to create a path for party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay to seek a seat in the legislature.

It's rare to find somebody who truly embodies the spirit of selfless public service like @ReannGasper does. I'm grateful for her steady presence as we keep going together. Thank you, Reann, for your support and commitment. pic.twitter.com/l35SYsndO6

— Kerry-Lynne Findlay (@KerryLynneFindl) August 23, 2026

Gasper made the surprise announcement during an August 22 Conservative gathering in Abbotsford, where the visibly emotional MLA described her humble decision as an act of courage intended to strengthen the party’s chances of defeating Premier David Eby’s NDP.

“You know, the moment is requiring courage,” Gasper told those gathered, recalling how her husband would urge her to “make it count” each time she left for Victoria.

Gasper said the decision was not something she had been planning for long, but one she came to believe was pivotal for the future of the province.

“As I have pondered where we are right now as a province, I know that the decision that I have made to give up my seat in the house to this woman, our leader,” Gasper said before pausing to embrace Findlay, and continuing by saying she told her children, “This decision is for you. I am doing this for you because I believe that together we can see British Columbia flourish and have hope again.”

Gasper was elected in 2024 with approximately 55 per cent of the vote, defeating then-NDP candidate and former agriculture minister Pam Alexis by roughly 2,500 votes.

Prior to her election, the Abbotsford-Mission riding was previously held by the B.C. Liberals from 2009 to 2020 and by the NDP from 2020 until Gasper’s victory.

“We are at a crossroad,” said MLA Reann Gasper before humbly announcing that she will resign, giving B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay a path to a seat in the legislature. pic.twitter.com/rOt6jUhv8X

— Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) August 23, 2026

Gasper’s resignation gives Findlay, a former federal MP who was elected B.C. Conservative leader back in May, a route, if successful in a by-election, to enter the house and personally lead the Official Opposition against Eby’s government.

“This person is an amazing, proud British Columbian and she’s doing something for all of us,” Findlay said after thanking Gasper.

“We are going to deliver that riding in the by-election,” Findlay said. “We are going to take British Columbia by storm with a majority Conservative government.”

Findlay also offered some insight into how Gasper came to the difficult decision alongside her husband.

“She came to me. I did not ask her,” Findlay said, adding that Gasper approached her “with such passion and sincerity and such a full and good heart that it really moved me.”

The Eby government will have six months to call the by-election. Once the writ is issued, the campaign will run for 28 days.

Findlay, meanwhile, says she plans to spend plenty of time in the riding she hopes to represent.

“So here we are today in Abbotsford, my new home,” she told supporters. “I’ll be here a lot.”