B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad gives a thumbs up after addressing supporters on the provincial election night in Vancouver, on Oct. 19, 2024. The Canadian Press/Ethan Cairns
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has passed his leadership review after securing the backing of 70 percent of party members following a months-long leadership review that saw low participation.
The results, announced Sept. 22, saw only 1,268 members of the party’s 9,000-strong membership cast ballots, with Rustad winning in 78 out of the province’s 93 party ridings.
“I believe the members have given me a mandate to lead and I believe British Columbians are hungry for an unapologetic common sense Conservative government. We will make it happen,” Rustad said in a Sept. 22 press release. “This process has localized democracy and allowed all members to not only vote in this crucial review, but share their concerns with me directly.”
The results of the review were revealed just hours before Rustad was scheduled to meet Conservative MLAs in Victoria on Monday evening to confirm whether he still enjoys their confidence as caucus leader.
The B.C. Conservative party constitution dictates that a leader can be removed from his or her position if support falls below 50 percent.
Rustad’s Tenure
A long-serving B.C. Liberal MLA and cabinet minister, Rustad was kicked out of the caucus in August of 2022, for retweeting a post expressing doubts on social media about human causation of climate change. In March of 2023, Rustad became leader of the B.C. Conservative Party, who had been a fringe party for decades.
As the B.C. Conservatives rose in the polls, more members of the renamed B.C. Liberals, now called the B.C. United, left to join the Conservatives, leading the B.C. United to cease election operations during the 2024 election campaign and join forces with the B.C. Conservatives. The Conservatives became the Official Opposition after a narrow loss to the NDP in the October 2024 election.
In his campaign, Rustad championed free speech for his candidates, saying that caucus members would not be subject to strict party discipline to vote in predetermined ways. His leadership has also been defined by promoting policies that oppose carbon pricing and support resource development. Rustad stood by his candidates such as Brent Chapman who had become targets of opposition and media reports for past remarks, while his party ousted some others such as physician Stephen Malthouse for his remarks on COVID-19 vaccines.
