Rustad faces critics at BC Conservatives caucus meeting in Surrey

BC Conservatives caucus members met in Surrey on Wednesday, while the party’s leader is facing a period of tough criticism.

All eyes were on John Rustad, with some members questioning his leadership, despite a strong showing in provincial polls. Rustad continues to face questions about his handling of blackmail allegations he’s made against some former Conservative MLAs and his overall electability.

UBC political science lecturer Stewart Prest said Wednesday could have been a tough day for the official Opposition leader.

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“It’s the best of times, worst of times, for the Conservative Party,” he said. “They continue to poll quite well in the province, but their leader, Mr. Rustad, seems to be beleaguered on a number of sides, as he is now facing a leadership review that promises to drag out through much of the summer.”

But Rustad emerged confident Wednesday afternoon after leading the caucus meeting, insisting he has the backing of his party — despite the fact that some MLAs weren’t physically present for the media event that followed.

“We got to talk about a lot of issues, and, especially, we started talking about a lot of things that we need to be focused on. When we think about British Columbia, where British Columbia is going, it’s clear that in this province, there are so many issues,” said Rustad.

As to the pending leadership review, Rustad said, “I would love to have 100 per cent. So we’ll see how that goes.”

Prest explains that while the formal review goes on, Rustad continues to face growing criticisms and questions from people associated with the conservative movement, prominent business people, and also calls for him to step down from former Conservative MLAs who now sit as independents.

“It is a cornucopia of problems for Mr. Rustad, and he has been seen as increasingly beleagured as a result,” Prest said.

Prest says that while three former Conservative MLAs are now sitting as Independents or part of the new OneBC party, they still see themselves as “part of the conservative family, that conservative movement,” of which Rustad is the centre.

“[Questions involve] tensions around his leadership and his ability to bring that fractious right of centre movement back together again, but it’s not clear that anybody else would be able to do so more effectively, either, given that the right wing movement in the province really has two distinct factions that don’t seem to to work well together at all, unless there is an imminent possibility of victory,” Prest continued.

The lecturer says it’s clear that there isn’t the belief within the caucus that Rustad can bring the sparring sides together.

“He got closer than I think anybody expected him to in the fall, and yet he fell just shy,” Prest explained. “Now, we are clearly seeing others calling for his job, and behind the scenes, some informal maneuvering … to take up the campaign for his job if he were to step aside.”

Prest adds that if the party were to “rip the mandate off,” conventional wisdom would suggest that the party does it quickly to allow a new leader to put their own stamp on the party.

“To put their people in positions of leadership, so we don’t have that sniping from the sidelines, that everybody is on the same page within the party, so that they can move forward with one voice,” he said.

“But at the same time, we have examples such as Mark Carney at the federal level, stepping in at the 11th hour. Really, it was 11:30 when he stepped in and still managed to right the ship and win an election for the Liberals.

“So, it’s definitely better, but it’s not a necessity, and the Conservatives remain in this as long as they continue to poll well,” Prest explained.

Last week, Rustad raised allegations that a group of former Conservatives had been blackmailing party staff and caucus. Speaking to media Wednesday, he says will not be taking those allegations to police, citing a request from staff.

“I do think about whether I should have used the word blackmail,” said Rustad.

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With files from Anthony Atanasov and Srushti Gangdev