Latest news with #JohnRustad
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
John Rustad blames lacklustre party fundraising on federal election toll as leadership review looms
The B.C. Conservatives' long, hot summer continues as the party fell behind the NDP in fundraising, with leader John Rustad blaming the poor results on supporters being tapped out following provincial and federal elections. Between April 1 and June 30, the Conservatives raised just over $350,000, less than half of the $700,589 that Premier David Eby's NDP raised, according to Elections B.C. data released this week. In fact, Rustad's party finished closer to the B.C. Greens' total of $200,000 than they were to the governing party. This is in stark contrast to the Conservatives' first quarter performance, where they raised $723,000 compared to the NDP's $802,000. 'Our fundraising needs to be picked up,' Rustad said. 'Part of it is that post-election we've seen historically…fundraising always drops off going into the summer, plus you had the federal election, and a lot of people we talked to on the fundraising side are tapped out.' He is seeing better fundraising totals over the past two months and hopes that will show in the third quarter results for July through September, which will be released in October. The party's executive director, Angelo Isidorou, echoed Rustad's comments. 'The federal election did have a noticeable effect, with many donors shifting their attention and contributions to the national Conservative campaign,' he said. 'That said, we're confident the upcoming quarters will build on our past success, and we remain focused on being fully prepared for the next provincial election.' The Conservative's fundraising drop-off coincides with a leadership review this fall to determine if Rustad will continue to lead the party or be thrown into a full-scale leadership race for his successor. Isidorou says the plan is to conduct voting by region. So far, the party has completed voting in just over half of 93 provincial ridings, including the Kootenays, Fraser Valley, Surrey, Tri-Cities, Burnaby, Richmond, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Campbell River, Comox, Nanaimo and Langford. Rustad said he's happy with turnout so far, although the Conservatives have said they won't be releasing full participation data until the review wraps up in late September. 'On the Island, we had 250 people come out in Campbell River, we had about 150 in Comox. I think we had close to 200 in the Victoria area,' he said, which shows numbers that are 'pretty encouraging.' Pollster Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., says the Conservatives are in a difficult spot with a lack of clarity on how the review is being conducted and whether Rustad will stay on. He said that the Conservatives had better fundraising at the same time last year, raising $1.1 million over a three-month period, despite the fact they still had to contend with a centre-right opponent in B.C. United. 'Obviously the fundraising total is not where they want to be. I mean, if you look at the numbers plainly, they're closer to the level that the Greens are getting and the Greens are coming off their worst election in this century,' said Canseco. He said it didn't help that three MLAs — Dallas Brodie, Tara Armstrong and Jordan Kealy — left the Conservatives, and the party's unpopularity continues among voters over the age of 55. A Research Co. poll in June found the NDP had 53 per cent support among voters over 55, while the Conservatives had 49 per cent support among those between the ages of 18 and 34. The voters between 35 and 54 were split almost evenly between the two parties. That poll also found that Rustad was well behind Eby in popularity, with only 37 per cent of respondents voicing their approval of him compared to 56 per cent for the premier. It was based on a sample size of 803 voters surveyed between June 7 to June 9 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. 'The story of going from two per cent of the vote to almost forming the government is great, but it's not something that you can take into the next election as your example. Now you're the official Opposition, and you need to portray yourself as a government in waiting,' said Canseco. alazenby@ Related Big tent or small? John Rustad and the battle for the soul of the B.C. Conservatives John Rustad accuses former B.C. Conservative MLAs of blackmail What does the creation of OneBC mean for the province's political scene?
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
John Rustad blames lacklustre party fundraising on federal election toll as leadership review looms
The B.C. Conservatives' long, hot summer continues as the party fell behind the NDP in fundraising, with leader John Rustad blaming the poor results on supporters being tapped out following provincial and federal elections. Between April 1 and June 30, the Conservatives raised just over $350,000, less than half of the $700,589 that Premier David Eby's NDP raised, according to Elections B.C. data released this week. In fact, Rustad's party finished closer to the B.C. Greens' total of $200,000 than they were to the governing party. This is in stark contrast to the Conservatives' first quarter performance, where they raised $723,000 compared to the NDP's $802,000. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Our fundraising needs to be picked up,' Rustad said. 'Part of it is that post-election we've seen historically…fundraising always drops off going into the summer, plus you had the federal election, and a lot of people we talked to on the fundraising side are tapped out.' He is seeing better fundraising totals over the past two months and hopes that will show in the third quarter results for July through September, which will be released in October. The party's executive director, Angelo Isidorou, echoed Rustad's comments. 'The federal election did have a noticeable effect, with many donors shifting their attention and contributions to the national Conservative campaign,' he said. 'That said, we're confident the upcoming quarters will build on our past success, and we remain focused on being fully prepared for the next provincial election.' The Conservative's fundraising drop-off coincides with a leadership review this fall to determine if Rustad will continue to lead the party or be thrown into a full-scale leadership race for his successor. Isidorou says the plan is to conduct voting by region. So far, the party has completed voting in just over half of 93 provincial ridings, including the Kootenays, Fraser Valley, Surrey, Tri-Cities, Burnaby, Richmond, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Campbell River, Comox, Nanaimo and Langford. Rustad said he's happy with turnout so far, although the Conservatives have said they won't be releasing full participation data until the review wraps up in late September. 'On the Island, we had 250 people come out in Campbell River, we had about 150 in Comox. I think we had close to 200 in the Victoria area,' he said, which shows numbers that are 'pretty encouraging.' Pollster Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., says the Conservatives are in a difficult spot with a lack of clarity on how the review is being conducted and whether Rustad will stay on. He said that the Conservatives had better fundraising at the same time last year, raising $1.1 million over a three-month period, despite the fact they still had to contend with a centre-right opponent in B.C. United. 'Obviously the fundraising total is not where they want to be. I mean, if you look at the numbers plainly, they're closer to the level that the Greens are getting and the Greens are coming off their worst election in this century,' said Canseco. He said it didn't help that three MLAs — Dallas Brodie, Tara Armstrong and Jordan Kealy — left the Conservatives, and the party's unpopularity continues among voters over the age of 55. A Research Co. poll in June found the NDP had 53 per cent support among voters over 55, while the Conservatives had 49 per cent support among those between the ages of 18 and 34. The voters between 35 and 54 were split almost evenly between the two parties. That poll also found that Rustad was well behind Eby in popularity, with only 37 per cent of respondents voicing their approval of him compared to 56 per cent for the premier. It was based on a sample size of 803 voters surveyed between June 7 to June 9 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. 'The story of going from two per cent of the vote to almost forming the government is great, but it's not something that you can take into the next election as your example. Now you're the official Opposition, and you need to portray yourself as a government in waiting,' said Canseco. alazenby@
National Post
31-07-2025
- Health
- National Post
Chris Selley: Canadians discover (again) the sometimes deadly calculations of medicare
The case of 10-year-old Charleigh Pollock, the only person in British Columbia currently suffering from Batten disease — an incurable illness that attacks the nervous system — offers a very useful window into how Canada's health-care systems really work. Whether we want to look through that window is another matter. Article content The treatment Charleigh was receiving costs roughly $850,000 per year. It might extend her life expectancy past 12, which is the normal upper limit for children suffering from the disease. But B.C.'s Expensive Drugs for Rare Diseases Committee, which decides which such drugs should be funded and which should not (every province has an equivalent panel) had determined that the treatment was no longer effective, and cut her off. Article content This did not go over well. Opposition politicians, pundits and random social media users alike were practically incandescent. British Columbians 'were horrified by a system that chose cold, heartless logic over showing mercy to a dying girl in the short time she has left,' one provincial columnist, Rob Shaw, fumed at online news site Business Intelligence for B.C. Article content Article content B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad weighed in: 'What is the point of B.C.'s Canadian healthcare system, if it's not there for families when they need it?' Article content Nevertheless, for ages, Premier David Eby and Health Minister Josie Osborne publicly deferred to the committee's expertise. But when the political pressure became too much, they folded, apologizing profusely to the Pollock family. And they didn't just overrule the committee's decision; they basically threw the committee under the bus. 'There's no question in terms of the Charleigh case that the public was not served by the current structure that we have,' Eby said Monday. 'The current structure of a committee that doesn't speak to the media, doesn't speak to the public, makes decisions behind closed doors, only speaks to the treating physician, and even then only through the Ministry of Health, resulted in a scenario where it appeared as though what was happening was the exact opposite of what anybody wants.' Article content Article content At last report, 10 members of the committee had resigned, apparently in protest at having their expertise undermined. Hard to blame them. It's not as though it's a fun job they signed up for, denying treatment to people on grounds of cost. Article content Article content Transparency is always a good thing. If our health-care systems are denying coverage for very expensive drugs for very rare diseases, we deserve to know why. But it's very easy to figure why the members of this committee are typically anonymous, and why they don't talk to the media: As Charleigh's case shows, these decisions make people very angry at the decision-makers, however medically defensible they might be. The committee's job is precisely to make hard-hearted decisions. And in every single case of someone being denied coverage, all the media would want to know is how the committee could possibly be so heartless and cruel, and when will it change its mind? Article content The central problem is that no politician will ever dare speak the truth: the 'universal' in universal health care refers to every person, not every single remedy for every single disease that's out there. If we said 'yes' to everything based on emotions, Canadian health care would be even less solvent and sustainable than it is now. Article content If that sounds heartless, that's because it is. Public health-care systems around the world rely on this sort of background heartless logic. Private health insurance in the United States doesn't cover every single expensive treatment for every single rare disease; why would public health insurance in Canada? Article content To her credit, one ex-member of the committee came out publicly, guns blazing. The government 'systematically undercut the principle of evidence-based medicine,' Dr. Sandra Sirrs told the Victoria Times-Colonist. She bristled at the notion the committee lacks compassion. 'You have no idea the amount of consideration and thoughtful discussion (that went into the decision),' she said. 'We want Charleigh not to have that disease, and if we couldn't have that, what we want is a drug that reverses the changes she suffered from Batten disease. Article content 'And if we can't have that, we at least would want a drug that, once started, prevents her from getting worse with Batten disease — and we have none of those.' Article content Is some marginal benefit, a few extra months or years of life, worth $850,000 a year to the Canadian taxpayer? It feels horrible even asking the question, which is why no one wants to talk about it. But it's a question that needs to be asked. These newly resigned committee members could do a lot of good by explaining publicly, without spin, why these bodies exist in the first place. Article content
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Surrey South MLA steps down from critic duties to undergo cancer treatment
Surrey South candidate Brent Chapman is seen in an image from his campaign's Facebook page. Brent Chapman, the B.C. Conservative MLA representing Surrey South, will step down from his opposition critic role as he undergoes cancer treatment, the caucus announced Tuesday. In a letter posted to social media, the MLA said he received the diagnosis recently and has begun treatment with BC Cancer. 'While this diagnosis presents challenges, I remain focused on recovery and fully committed to the work I was elected to do,' Chapman wrote. 'I remain humbled by the trust placed in me by my constituents and intend to honour that trust every day.' In the meantime, Richmond Centre MLA Hon Chan will take over his duties as transit and ICBC critic, but Chapman will keep his seat in the legislature. 'Brent will continue to serve and support the people of Surrey South throughout his treatment,' the B.C. Conservatives wrote in a brief statement. 'We stand with Brent and his family during this time.' An actor before he entered politics, Chapman was first elected in October 2024 after a campaign mired with various controversies over his old social media posts. In his letter, Chapman thanked his fellow caucus members, particularly Leader John Rustad, for their support, as well as his wife, children and grandchildren. The post garnered words of encouragement from across the aisle, namely Premier David Eby and Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon. 'Our entire caucus wishes him strength and a full recovery,' the Conservatives wrote.
CBC
07-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad faces criticism from several sides amid review
Dave Sharkey still remembers how he felt about the future of the Conservative Party of B.C. when he was part of the delegation that marched in the 2022 Aldergrove Christmas Light Up Parade. "There were only four of us," Sharkey said. "Two of us were holding the banner, and the other two were handing out candy canes. But the reception was actually surprisingly positive, and it was a kind of experience that led me to believe that in terms of our political ambitions, we were on the right track." Sharkey, a party member since 2017 and a former provincial candidate for the Libertarian Party, now thinks the Conservatives are on the wrong track. His conclusion comes despite the B.C. Conservatives coming within a whisker of forming government in October 2024 when 912,000 residents voted for the party that had just under 36,000 votes in the 2020 election. Sharkey said he blames the same man others credit for reviving a party that once polled at two per cent: Opposition Leader John Rustad. The party's direction and identity are at the heart of a dispute that set off the departure of three members of the legislature and arguments among riding associations. Should it be populist or moderate? Big tent or small? It also comes as party members review Rustad's leadership in accordance with the party's constitution. Rustad became the leader a month after joining the party in March 2023. He had been with the B.C. Liberals since 2005, but was kicked out in 2022 by then-leader Kevin Falcon. WATCH | Rustad faces scheduled leadership review: B.C. Conservative leader to face scheduled leadership review amid infighting 13 days ago Duration 3:05 Relations between the rivals then reversed in August 2024, when Falcon suspended the election campaign of his party, rebranded as B.C. United, following the defections of members to the Conservatives. Now, Sharkey said, the Conservatives have become a rebranded version of Rustad's old party. There was no appetite from the members to be that big-tent party, he said. "There is an appetite from the members to remain a grassroots party, and if Mr. Rustad wants to be a big tent, start a big-tent party." Sharkey, who considers himself the riding association president in Abbotsford-Mission, said he believes Rustad's changes cost the Conservatives the election win. The party's executive director, Angelo Isidorou, said in a statement Monday that Sharkey is neither a member nor a riding association president. Domenic Cinalli describes himself as an early supporter and one-time close confidant of Rustad, but said he doesn't like the direction Rustad has taken the party. "He has abandoned what we all stood for," Cinalli said. "He's abandoned the strong stances that we had, and it wasn't just John who brought us there. It was all the volunteers and the people who were out there fighting tooth and nail." Cinalli said he's disappointed that the party changed directions on reconciliation with First Nations and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity programming. "They have gone more mediocre, more to the middle," said Cinalli, who is no longer a party member. But for others, the Conservative tent isn't big enough. Ryan Beedie, a prominent Vancouver businessman, said in a social media post last month that the Conservatives will need to "rebrand to something more inclusive" if they wish to appeal to "centrist voters" just as the Social Credit Party or the B.C. Liberals did in the past. A months-long leadership review is underway amid allegations from Rustad that three former Conservative MLAs — Tara Armstrong, Dallas Brodie and Jordan Kealy — "blackmailed" Conservative staff. Rustad first made the allegation in a letter to his caucus without naming the MLAs directly. All three have denied the claims and have instead accused Rustad of using the allegations to distract from questions about his leadership. While Rustad has since expressed regret for using the term blackmail, his critics have seized on it. Beedie said Rustad's allegations raise questions about his leadership, and the party should use the review to move toward the middle. WATCH | B.C. Conservative leader's letter alleges blackmail: B.C. Conservative leader's letter alleges blackmail by ex-members 20 days ago Duration 10:04 In a letter leaked to media on Monday, B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad alleges that a group of legislators who left his party are threatening to release texts and messages to intimidate members of his caucus. It comes after two Conservative defectors formed the OneBC party. Tim Thielmann, the chief of staff for the OneBC leader, called the allegations a desperate attempt by Rustad to cling to power. "Hopefully, this [review] is a positive step toward the B.C. Conservatives getting their house in order and shifting their political strategy to a more centrist approach. They will need to do so, or the B.C. NDP will be staying in power for the foreseeable future." UBC political science lecturer Stewart Prest said the Conservatives consist of a "populist" wing and a moderate wing, and the current riding-by-riding leadership vote could make for a "messy summer" with Rustad facing pressure from both sides. "We are already hearing rumblings of challenges from both camps, so I don't know if it is an either-or situation," Prest said, when asked which faction was more likely to challenge Rustad for leadership. A central source of criticism concerns the handling of the party's last annual general meeting held in March. The "Team Rustad" slate swept elections for the party's board of directors. Delegates also approved amendments to the party's constitution as proposed by Rustad. But not everybody has accepted the results, including Armstrong, Brodie and Kealy. In May, they alleged Rustad and his team "rigged" the meeting that endorsed the board, claiming it was stacked with South Asian supporters paid "to vote the way Mr. Rustad wanted." Brodie and Armstrong have since gone on to form their own party, One B.C. Its chief of staff is Tim Thielmann, a former Conservative candidate in Victoria-Beacon Hill. The allegations surrounding the AGM received another airing last month when 50-plus signatories describing themselves as "executive members or former executive members" of riding associations called on Estey to launch an external audit of the AGM. Rustad has denied any wrongdoing at the meeting. "I have been advised by our legal counsel and experts, who were present to scrutinize the voting process, that our AGM was 100 per cent in line with this party's 2024-2025 constitution," he said in the letter containing the blackmail allegations against the three former Conservative MLAs. Rustad said in an interview last month that critics like Sharkey and others "want this party to be something that it is not." "I have said this all the way through the campaign, and I don't know why people haven't heard it — it's not about being Conservative or Liberal, or NDP, or Green. It's just standing for what's right and fighting for the average everyday people. That is the party that we have built," Rustad said. Gavin Dew, B.C. Conservative MLA for Kelowna-Mission, said the current party "has had incredible success in building a new voter coalition" that includes many more young voters and more voters from different cultural communities. "We have made incredible strides with blue-collar voters," Dew added. "We do incredibly well with suburban voters. So, we have made all this progress, but it is clear that we still need to win over those incremental voters, which I would say is that middle-of-the-road voter." If the party holds its current coalition together and adds more "economically oriented voters" from the middle of the spectrum to this coalition, Conservatives can hold government for "multiple terms," Dew said in an interview. Prest is more skeptical. While strong poll numbers now and victory down the line might entice both wings of the Conservatives to put aside their differences, "there isn't really a stable policy compromise that would make both of those sides happy" in the long term, he said. "In some really important ways, the divides between populist and more middle-of-the-road Conservatives are deeper than the divides between middle-of-the-road Conservatives and NDP, " Prest said.
