John Rustad stepped down as the leader of the B.C. Conservatives Thursday, less than 24 hours after he said he would be doing no such thing. The decision, according to Rustad, was the only way to avoid a “civil war” within the party he revived from obscurity in the lead-up to the last provincial election. “It’s been a great honour building this party, taking this thing from what it was, and bringing the Conservative Party back to British Columbia, back to life in this province,” he said. “Tearing apart this party was not the right thing to do,” he told reporters, when asked about his about-face. The announcement came after a chaotic day at the legislature Wednesday, with the party declaring Trevor Halford interim leader on account of Rustad being deemed “professionally incapacitated.” RELATED STORY: ‘Professionally incapacitated’: Rustad ousted as leader of B.C. Conservatives, party says Halford was elected as a BC Liberal in 2020 and joined the Conservatives after his party, which had been rebranded as BC United, announced it would not be running any candidates in 2024—throwing its support behind Rustad’s party instead. Rustad said his resignation, which came after a majority of caucus members penned letters saying they had lost confidence in their leader, was not the result of a “hostile takeover by former BC Liberals.” Rustad will stay on as an MLA but will not seek re-election, he said, adding he is confident the party can form government and that the next premier will be a Conservative. “I’ve made a huge change and difference in terms of politics in British Columbia, but I had to make sure that it’s not about me. And so, if I go forward with a civil war, I’m making it all about me, and that’s not what this party should be,” he said. Rustad credited his Opposition with moving the governing B.C. NDP to the right on issues like involuntary care, safe supply, the carbon tax and, most recently, the possibility of a new pipeline. Rustad was ousted from the BC Liberals in 2022 over comments questioning the science of climate change, and announced he was joining the B.C. Conservatives the following year. For months, he was the party’s only MLA. After a number of high-profile defections from BC United, formerly the BC Liberals, the Conservatives had eight seats in the legislature when the last provincial election was called. The party, which had not seen an MLA elected since 1975, would go on to win 44 seats—falling just short of forming government. But the party has been plagued by division and infighting since, with a handful of members either leaving or being ousted—reducing the seat count to 39. Halford will serve as interim leader until a new one is chosen. “John has been a friend. He’s been a mentor, and he’s gotten us to this place,” he said during his first appearance in the role. “We have a duty to him. We have a duty to British Columbians to get us to that next chapter.” Halford has no plans to throw his hat in the ring in the leadership race, he said, before echoing Rustad’s prediction that the Conservatives will win the next election. “This is a government-in-waiting, and hopefully that wait won’t be too long,” he said. He downplayed division within the party, saying the caucus remains “laser focused” on holding the NDP to account, that fractures along ideological lines are “not really there” and that differences of opinion are “healthy.” The legislature has adjourned for the winter break, and the timeline for the leadership contest has not been set.
