VICTORIA, B.C. – John Rustad officially announced his resignation as the leader of the BC Conservatives on Thursday morning, concluding a turbulent period for the party following a loss of confidence from a majority of his caucus.
The announcement comes after 20 MLAs—a majority of the Conservative caucus—stated they no longer supported Rustad’s leadership on Wednesday.
A Look Back at Party Growth
Despite the internal conflict, Rustad’s statement focused on the significant political progress the party achieved under his tenure.
“When I began this journey, our party had not elected an MLA to the British Columbia Legislature since 1975,” Rustad said. He credited the party with building a movement “grounded in common sense, hard work, and love of this province”.
Rustad underscored the scale of the party’s recent success, stating, “Together, we came within one seat of forming government“. He credited this progress to every MLA, volunteer, donor, and British Columbian who supported the vision.
The Path Forward
Rustad will remain the MLA for his riding of Nechako Lakes. The party has appointed MLA Trevor Halford as interim leader.
Addressing the chaos that led to his resignation, Rustad insisted that the action was not a hostile takeover by the rival BC Liberals.
“We remain a Conservative party, committed to a vision of a common-sense Conservative government in BC,” he said, extending an invitation to supporters: “I invite everyone who sees the NDP as a threat to their livelihood and to the dreams of a prosperous British Columbia to join us in the coming weeks and months as we chart a new path forward”.
