SHARE:
The Conservative Party of BC lost another MLA Monday with Amelia Boultbee, the representative for Penticton-Summerland, announcing she has lost confidence in John Rustad’s leadership and will sit as an Independent.
“Over the past weeks and months I have witnessed, along with all British Columbians, the unravelling of John Rustad,” Boultbee said on the steps of the legislature.
“As long as John Rustad remains the leader of the Conservative Party of BC, he is handing the NDP a victory in the next election,” she said. “The province needs us to provide a viable alternative to the NDP, and it has become clear we cannot do that as long as John Rustad is the leader.”
Rustad became leader of the B.C. Conservatives in 2023 and led the party from having no seats in the legislature to nearly winning last October’s provincial election with 44 of the 93 seats.
Since then he has struggled to keep the Conservatives united, losing five of the party’s MLAs who have either quit or been kicked out of the caucus.
Boultbee cited allegations of cheating and fraudulent member sign-ups in the Conservative party’s recent review of Rustad’s leadership as well as the heavy-handed way that caucus meetings have been conducted.
“He has invited me to ‘get the F out’ if I don’t like it and I’ve taken him up on that offer,” she said. “I am leaving because John Rustad’s failed leadership needs to end. I believe he has massive credibility problems and he is resorting to intimidation in order to prevent us from organizing against him. Good leaders don’t do that.”
Asked if his leadership was unravelling, Rustad said, “I can tell you very clearly as the Conservative Party of British Columbia and me as leader, we have one direction and one direction only, which is to bring down this NDP government.”
Nor did he accept Boultbee’s allegation that he was leading through intimidation. “The interesting thing is the one comment I get most often from people in caucus and other people is I’m being too nice,” Rustad said.
Rustad said he believed Boultbee had found her role as the critic for the Ministry of Children and Family Development stressful and that she had recently been in his office in tears. “She was very confused and frustrated with what was happening.”
He implied that Boultbee had mental health struggles and said that she’d been encouraged to take a leave.
Those comments brought a response from Brennan Day, the Conservative MLA for Courtenay-Comox, saying on X that one in three British Columbians will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives.
“To weaponize or trivialize someone’s health condition, mental or otherwise, is harmful to those who already face stigma in silence,” he said. “We need to build a culture where people can seek help without fear of judgment or political spin. Leadership means showing compassion and restraint, even when the spotlight is on.”
Boultbee said she would return to the Conservative party under a different leader and that she believes the issue goes beyond disagreements over policy. “John has somehow managed to alienate people on the left and the right, so it’s not even ideological.”
Constituents who voted for a Conservative MLA are right to be upset, she said. “I weighed the pros and cons and I realized the more important thing is they’re entitled to an MLA who isn’t ethically compromised by being complicit and staying with this man.” ![[Tyee]](/design-article.thetyee.ca/ui/img/yellowblob.png){kind=small}
Read more: BC Politics
Tyee Commenting Guidelines
Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion and be patient with moderators. Comments are reviewed regularly but not in real time.
Do:
Do not: