Brennan Day
Brennan Day | |
|---|---|
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Courtenay-Comox | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Ronna-Rae Leonard |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Independent (2026–present) BC Conservative (2024–2026) BC Liberal (before 2024) |
Brennan Day MLA is a Canadian politician who has served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA) representing the electoral district of Courtenay-Comox since 2024. Elected as a member of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, he left that caucus in August 2026 to sit as an independent.[1]
Early life and career
Day is a longtime resident of the Comox Valley, and his professional background includes managing large-scale international projects and founding an industrial supply and training firm.[2] Day was also the executive director of the Eureka Support Society, a mental health service provider in Courtenay, British Columbia when he was nominated.[3][4] He holds a degrees in political science and international relations from Vancouver Island University.[5]
Political career
2020 and 2024 elections
Day was the BC Liberal candidate for the Courtenay-Comox in the 2020 British Columbia general election, which he lost to NDP incumbent Ronna-Rae Leonard. In the 2024 provincial election, Day was announced as the Conservative Party of BC candidate for the Courtenay-Comox region, running again in the riding and winning by a mere 92 votes, unseating Leonard.[6][7]
Since election
He served in the official opposition's shadow cabinet as the critic for Rural Health and Seniors' Health, and his policy priorities include addressing homelessness, substance abuse and mental health issues, and restoring stability and safety to his region.[2]
He became viral in August 2025 for his strong negative response to a letter sent by American Republican state senator Joseph Martin from Maine to representatives of western Canadian provinces asking them to join the United States, calling it a "manifesto of arrogance" and "a perfect example of what many Canadians find so deeply troubling about the American worldview".[8][9]
On August 26, Day announced he had resigned from the BC Conservative caucus in the Legislative Assembly, and that he would sit in the body as an independent conservative. He was the fifth BC Conservative MLA to defect in a two-week period. Day cited issues with leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay, saying he had lost faith "in the judgment, conduct, and ethical standards of her leadership" and of her advisers and allies.[10]
Electoral record
| 2024 British Columbia general election: Courtenay-Comox | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Brennan Day | 13,481 | 38.83 | – | $54,803.68 | |||
| New Democratic | Ronna-Rae Leonard | 13,388 | 38.56 | -12.00 | $64,793.74 | |||
| Green | Arzeena Hamir | 7,202 | 20.74 | +1.15 | $54,310.40 | |||
| Independent | John Hedican | 504 | 1.45 | – | $7,247.19 | |||
| Independent | Devin Howell | 143 | 0.41 | – | $1,097.60 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 34,718 | 99.89 | – | $71,700.08 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 37 | 0.11 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 34,755 | 68.71 | +7.25 | |||||
| Registered voters | 50,583 | |||||||
| Conservative notional gain from New Democratic | Swing | +25.42 | ||||||
| Source: Elections BC[11][12] | ||||||||
| 2020 British Columbia general election: Courtenay-Comox | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Ronna-Rae Leonard | 14,663 | 50.56 | +13.20 | $50,103.50 | |||
| Liberal | Brennan Day | 8,655 | 29.85 | −6.87 | $34,579.94 | |||
| Green | Gillian Anderson | 5,681 | 19.59 | +1.22 | $10,595.98 | |||
| Total valid votes | 28,999 | 100.00 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | ||||||||
| Registered voters | ||||||||
| Source: Elections BC[13][14] | ||||||||
References
- ↑ Page, Mark (August 26, 2026). "Courtenay-Comox MLA Brennan Day quits B.C. Conservative caucus". Victoria News. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
- 1 2 "Brennan Day at Conservative Party of BC". Conservative Party of BC. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
- ↑ "Brennan Day, Conservative candidate for Courtenay-Comox". Times Colonist. October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ↑ "Brennan Day running for BC Conservatives in Courtenay-Comox". Comox Valley Record. August 12, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ↑ "Brennan Day running for BC Conservatives in Courtenay-Comox". Comox Valley Record. August 12, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
- ↑ Elghussein, Hussam (October 21, 2024). "Day promises to put in hard work after getting elected in Courtenay – Comox". My Comox Valley Now. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ↑ "BREAKING: Day has dawned if the preliminary ballots hold up in Courtenay-Comox". The Northern View. October 20, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ↑ Kobin, Billy (August 15, 2025). "A Maine politician sent Canadians an unprompted offer to join the US". WGME. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ↑ Depner, Wolfgang (August 15, 2025). "Maine state senator's pitch for western provinces to join U.S. is 'nonsense,' says 'enraged' B.C. MLA". National Post. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
- ↑ "Brennan Day joins B.C. Conservative exodus, blaming leader Findlay". CTVNews. August 26, 2026. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Statement of Votes – 43rd Provincial General Election – October 19, 2024" (PDF). Elections BC. April 17, 2025. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ↑ "2024 Provincial General Election Financing Reports Available". Elections BC. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Provincial General Election Final Voting Results". electionsbcenr.blob.core.windows.net. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ↑ "Search Results: 2020 General Election Financing Results". Elections BC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.