Latest news with #OneBC
Global News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Rustad faces ‘hot and uncomfortable summer' amid months-long leadership review
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad is staring down a 'very hot and uncomfortable summer' as he undergoes an unusually long leadership review, according to a UBC political scientist. The review, mandated by the party constitution, kicked off over the weekend — and comes amid messy infighting on British Columbia's political right. The process will see party members in each of B.C.'s 93 ridings vote on whether they want Rustad to stay as leader, a process Rustad said should wrap by December. 1:51 Conservative leader accuses political rivals of blackmail 'To go through every riding in a kind of mini-review seems like, in some ways, a worst-case scenario for a leader who is besieged, because it just means that it gives opponents time, space to organize,' UBC political science lecturer Stewart Prest told Global News. Story continues below advertisement 'It gives everyone with a grievance (a chance) to air that and to see whether others are feeling the same sort of thing. So it is going to be a very hot and uncomfortable summer, I would think, for Mr. Rustad.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The review comes as the province's political right, which unified behind Rustad and his upstart BC Conservatives ahead of last year's provincial election, faces fragmentation. Rustad is facing pressure over a leaked letter to the BC Conservative caucus accusing a group of former MLAs of 'blackmail.' Meanwhile, two former MLAs — Dallas Brodie, who was kicked out of the party for comments about residential schools, and Tara Armstrong, who quit in solidarity — have formed their own new OneBC party, with social and economic policies challenging Rustad's party's right flank. OneBC is also accusing Rustad of trying to manipulate the party's recent annual general meeting. 2:02 3 former B.C. Conservative MLAs speaking out Jordan Kealy, a third Conservative MLA who quit in solidarity but remains an independent, has also called for Rustad to step down. Story continues below advertisement And on Wednesday, B.C. business leader Ryan Beedie took aim at Rustad's leadership in a LinkedIn post, arguing the party needs to rebrand itself to appeal to centrist voters. At the same time, former BC United MLA Karin Kirkpatrick has launched her own party, CentreBC, hoping to attract those centrist voters. 'This isn't just behind-the-scenes backroom politics; it is out in the open, we have a BC Conservative Party that is fragmented,' Prest said. 'As long as the conservative movement is essentially eating its own and dealing with the infighting, the NDP more or less gets to skate through.' Prest said British Columbia's political right tends to only come together and unify around the promise of victory, and to get the party's populist and moderate wings back on the same page Rustad needs to find a way to change the conversation from his own leadership to that of the NDP government. It's a challenge he said will be magnified by the lengthy leadership review process. Rustad is scheduled to speak with the media following a caucus meeting Wednesday evening.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad to face scheduled leadership review amid infighting
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad is set to face a leadership review this summer as the province's centre-right party is embroiled by allegations of blackmail and at least two splinter parties. Rustad's leadership review is part of the party's constitution, and unlike many other parties, will not take place at a large convention. Instead, the votes will happen on a riding-by-riding basis, and the results will be announced at a convention in the fall. Rustad can only be removed if he receives less than 50 per cent support in the review. His party has been rocked recently by allegations of blackmail, with a leaked letter from Rustad containing accusations that MLAs who left to form their own party, OneBC, had threatened to release text messages and alleged secret recordings from Tory staff.A political scientist says that Rustad continues to face issues uniting the moderate and social conservative elements of his party, even as one of his party's MLAs said the caucus supports him. Aisha Estey, president of the B.C. Conservative Party, said the party was having riding-by-riding leadership votes to facilitate manned voting stations and give its thousands of members a 30-day notice period. "This is purely a practical necessity that it takes place over the summer, because we have many ridings to get to and it'll take a bit of time," she told CBC News. Party members in the Kootenay-Rockies riding voted on Saturday, and another vote is set to take place in Surrey on June 30. The exact date for future votes and of the fall party convention have not been announced. Blackmail allegations In an undated letter written by Rustad, leaked to media last week, the leader says that three MLAs who left the party's caucus had threatened to release texts to blackmail some B.C. Conservative caucus staff into quitting and working for them. CBC News has verified the letter was sent by the Tory leader to his caucus. In the letter, Rustad described the behaviour as "unethical, abusive, and potentially criminal." The Tory leader has, thus far, not commented publicly about the letter, which was seen to reference the splinter OneBC party formed by two former Tory MLAs, Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong. Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Brodie was kicked out of the Conservative caucus in March for her statements about residential schools. Armstrong, of Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream, and Jordan Kealy of Peace River North left the party shortly after in three have denied that they engaged in blackmail, pointing out that Rustad has not produced any evidence to support his claims. The B.C. NDP has written to the RCMP to ask it to investigate the claims. Estey dubbed the blackmail allegations an "unfortunate distraction from the outside" that was having very little effect on party members internally. "I think that our MLAs have been doing a fantastic job under John's leadership in the legislature, and in question period, holding the NDP to account," she said. "So I think generally we're pretty confident." At an unrelated news conference on Monday, Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew was asked whether he had confidence in Rustad. "I think we all have confidence in John Rustad ... we all want to make sure that our party is set up for success, and we all want to make sure that we're focused on the task at hand," he said. Prof says infighting to continue In addition to OneBC, which is aiming to appeal to social conservatives, former B.C. Liberal MLA Karin Kirkpatrick has set up Centre B.C. to appeal to more moderate centre-right voters who don't want to vote Conservative. Stewart Prest, a political scientist at the University of B.C., says that Rustad will continue to face an uphill battle in uniting moderate and social Conservatives within his party. "The leadership of Mr. Rustad is fraught, and there is no easy way to bring ... these two factions back together again, save the promise of imminent victory. And we don't have that at the moment," he said. "And so, I think the infighting will continue." "It may not rise to the level of somebody actually campaigning openly for Mr. Rustad's job, but I would expect there would be grumblings on both sides of that divide."
CBC
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad to face scheduled leadership review amid infighting
Social Sharing B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad is set to face a leadership review this summer as the province's centre-right party is embroiled by allegations of blackmail and at least two splinter parties. Rustad's leadership review is part of the party's constitution, and unlike many other parties, will not take place at a large convention. Instead, the votes will happen on a riding-by-riding basis, and the results will be announced at a convention in the fall. Rustad can only be removed if he receives less than 50 per cent support in the review. His party has been rocked recently by allegations of blackmail, with a leaked letter from Rustad containing accusations that MLAs who left to form their own party, OneBC, had threatened to release text messages and alleged secret recordings from Tory staff. B.C. Conservative leader's letter alleges blackmail by ex-members 6 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. A political scientist says that Rustad continues to face issues uniting the moderate and social conservative elements of his party, even as one of his party's MLAs said the caucus supports him. Aisha Estey, president of the B.C. Conservative Party, said the party was having riding-by-riding leadership votes to facilitate manned voting stations and give its thousands of members a 30-day notice period. "This is purely a practical necessity that it takes place over the summer, because we have many ridings to get to and it'll take a bit of time," she told CBC News. Party members in the Kootenay-Rockies riding voted on Saturday, and another vote is set to take place in Surrey on June 30. The exact date for future votes and of the fall party convention have not been announced. Blackmail allegations In an undated letter written by Rustad, leaked to media last week, the leader says that three MLAs who left the party's caucus had threatened to release texts to blackmail some B.C. Conservative caucus staff into quitting and working for them. CBC News has verified the letter was sent by the Tory leader to his caucus. In the letter, Rustad described the behaviour as "unethical, abusive, and potentially criminal." The Tory leader has, thus far, not commented publicly about the letter, which was seen to reference the splinter OneBC party formed by two former Tory MLAs, Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong. Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Brodie was kicked out of the Conservative caucus in March for her statements about residential schools. Armstrong, of Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream, and Jordan Kealy of Peace River North left the party shortly after in solidarity. WATCH | OneBC forms to court social conservatives: 2 Independent MLAs launch new political party 11 days ago Duration 2:13 All three have denied that they engaged in blackmail, pointing out that Rustad has not produced any evidence to support his claims. The B.C. NDP has written to the RCMP to ask it to investigate the claims. Estey dubbed the blackmail allegations an "unfortunate distraction from the outside" that was having very little effect on party members internally. "I think that our MLAs have been doing a fantastic job under John's leadership in the legislature, and in question period, holding the NDP to account," she said. "So I think generally we're pretty confident." At an unrelated news conference on Monday, Kelowna-Mission MLA Gavin Dew was asked whether he had confidence in Rustad. "I think we all have confidence in John Rustad ... we all want to make sure that our party is set up for success, and we all want to make sure that we're focused on the task at hand," he said. Prof says infighting to continue In addition to OneBC, which is aiming to appeal to social conservatives, former B.C. Liberal MLA Karin Kirkpatrick has set up Centre B.C. to appeal to more moderate centre-right voters who don't want to vote Conservative. in uniting moderate and social Conservatives within his party. "The leadership of Mr. Rustad is fraught, and there is no easy way to bring ... these two factions back together again, save the promise of imminent victory. And we don't have that at the moment," he said. "And so, I think the infighting will continue."
National Post
20-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
After B.C. Conservative leader made claim of MLA blackmailers in his own party, NDP asked RCMP to investigate
Premier David Eby said earlier this week after learning of the blackmail allegations that Rustad needed to take the claims to police, and if he didn't, then the NDP would. 'It is a profound and serious allegation that also strikes at the core of this place behind me and the public's confidence in the fact that legislators and staff members need to be able to do their work for the people without interference,' Eby said during a news conference outside the legislature on Tuesday. Tim Thielmann is the chief of staff for the new One BC party formed by Brodie and Tara Armstrong, who is the third ex-Conservative MLA. He blamed Eby for the NDP calling in the police, saying it was 'extremely irresponsible.' 'By his own admission, he is relying upon John Rustad's claims of blackmail, and when John Rustad has been asked for evidence, he has been unable to provide a single shred,' said Thielmann. He called the accusations in Rustad's letter to the Conservative caucus 'desperate lies' that he 'invented' to attack people exposing what happened at the party's annual general meeting. He said the case could 'cross the threshold for public mischief.' Brodie made the same argument in her social media post. 'If Rustad asks for a police investigation knowing his allegations are false, he might himself be committing the crime of public mischief under section 140 of the Criminal Code,' she said. 'But if he doesn't, he will have exposed his own big lie. 'And as for David Eby, he should know better than to attempt to instigate a police investigation when he admits to having absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing.' Brodie was thrown out of the B.C. Conservatives over remarks about residential schools, prompting Armstrong and Kealy to quit the party in sympathy. Kealy, who is not a member of the new One BC party, said Thursday that he was 'completely fine' with the RCMP being called to investigate. 'I've got nothing to hide if they want to talk to me,' said Kealy. 'I have chosen to leave it to people that are in the position to properly investigate this thoroughly and to look into whether or not they're allegations being made falsely,' said Kealy. Armstrong said on social media on Wednesday that 'Rustad and Eby can throw around the accusations all they like but rest assured, the truth will always prevail.' Brodie has said Rustad and his team 'rigged' the Conservatives' March annual general meeting that endorsed his 'Team Rustad' slate of executive candidates, allegedly stacking the meeting with South Asian supporters paid 'to vote the way Mr. Rustad wanted.' Rustad's letter denied any wrongdoing at the meeting. — With additional reporting from Wolfgang Depner in Victoria Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.
CBC
19-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
NDP asks RCMP to investigate B.C. Conservative blackmail claims
Social Sharing The B.C. NDP is asking the RCMP to investigate allegations made by B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad that three MLAs who left the party have tried to blackmail their former colleagues. The allegations were revealed in an undated letter written by Rustad, leaked to media on Monday. "In the letter John Rustad says the word blackmail 14 times and alleges criminal activity," said NDP caucus chair Stephanie Higginson. That's why she sent a letter to the B.C. RCMP's top commander calling for an investigation. WATCH | John Rustad alleges blackmail: B.C. Conservative leader's letter alleges blackmail by ex-members 2 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. Rustad alleged in his letter that the three MLAs and their staff threatened to release text messages and secret recordings, using that to blackmail some B.C. Conservative caucus staff into quitting and working for them. "They are attempting to blackmail individuals into taking jobs or contracts with them while simultaneously attempting to force them to do or say certain things in order to prevent blackmail materials from being leaked," Rustad wrote in the letter. In the letter, Rustad described the behaviour as "unethical, abusive, and potentially criminal." Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie was kicked out of the Conservative caucus in March for her statements about residential schools. Tara Armstrong of Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream and Jordan Kealy of Peace River North left the party shortly after in solidarity. All three have denied that they engaged in blackmail, pointing out that Rustad has not produced any evidence to support his claims. Higginson sent a letter to B.C. RCMP Commanding Officer Dwayne McDonald on Thursday asking the police force to investigate. "There is a significant public interest in determining the facts of this matter," the letter reads. "Blackmail is a serious crime. If any MLA or their legislative staff are engaged in it, British Columbians deserve to know, and any perpetrators should be prosecuted. British Columbians also deserve to know if Mr. Rustad, the Leader of the Official Opposition, is not in possession of evidence to support his accusations." RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Vanessa Munn said in a statement that the agency had received the letter. "The matter is under review and assessment," she said. Higginson's letter follows comments from Premier David Eby on Tuesday about the allegations. "Mr. Rustad needs to explain to the public what's happening," Eby said. "He needs to bring the information he has to the police. These are very serious allegations. And if he fails to bring them to the police, for whatever reason, then we will bring them to the police to make sure this is properly and thoroughly investigated." Since leaving the B.C. Conservative caucus in March, Brodie, Armstrong and Kealy have sat as Independents. Last week, Brodie and Armstrong announced their new political party, called One B.C. Kealy did not join the party. WATCH | 2 MLAs launch OneBC: 2 Independent MLAs launch new political party 7 days ago Duration 2:13 One MLA who was kicked out of the B.C. Conservative caucus and another who left in solidarity are forming a new political party. Katie DeRosa has more on what the party stands for and what it means for the official opposition. Brodie's chief of staff, Tim Thielmann, called the NDP's letter to the RCMP a "perversion of our justice system." "By David Eby's own admission, that he doesn't have any evidence upon which to initiate this police investigation," Thielmann said. "When John Rustad has been asked to produce evidence of his allegation, he has been unable to do so." Kealy said in a statement the allegations are false. "This is what a desperate man looks like. John Rustad is losing control, so he lashes out. He lies. He manipulates. He throws wild accusations into the wind hoping they'll stick. "Let the RCMP look into it. I have absolutely nothing to hide." Hamish Telford, a political scientist from the University of the Fraser Valley, said the NDP is trying to capitalize on dissension within the Conservative ranks. "I think the NDP is stirring the pot," Telford said. Higginson denies that her letter to the RCMP was politically motivated. "The easiest thing for me as the caucus chair, and perhaps even for the NDP, to do right now is to sit back and watch this internal mudslinging that's happening," she said. "But these are very serious allegations."
