B.C. MLA Linda Hepner leaves Conservative caucus as calls grow for leader to resign

Another Conservative MLA has resigned, joining 13 other MLAs the party has lost since August, amid growing calls for leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay to resign.

Linda Hepner, who serves in B.C's Surrey-Serpentine River riding and formerly served as Surrey's mayor, announced she has resigned from Conservative caucus "effective immediately."

“I’m feeling sad,” Hepner said in a Sunday interview. “I did not make this decision lightly and it’s taken a lot out of me.”

In her message sent to Findlay that she provided to CBC News, Hepner said she has lost confidence in the party leadership's willingness to listen, seek experienced advice and consider different perspectives.

Hepner said she asked Findlay to resign on Saturday, and is now resigning herself in the absence of Findlay stepping down.

She described the party as "a distracting cacophony of voices that are not grounded in the everyday concerns of British Columbians."