Former B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad says he has been invited back to the party’s caucus days after he was expelled amid a fast-changing opposition leadership situation.
The Story
Former British Columbia Conservative leader John Rustad says he has been invited to rejoin the party’s caucus, just days after he was expelled.
Rustad’s return comes after another leadership shake-up on the Opposition side: Kerry-Lynne Findlay quit as leader on Sunday, and Lorne Doerkson was appointed interim leader.
Rustad said Doerkson reached out to him by text message and asked him to return to the caucus following the leadership change.
The report says Rustad was expelled by Findlay in the dying days of her own tenure as leader, placing his caucus re-entry in the context of internal party conflict and renewed attempts to stabilize opposition politics.
The developments also coincide with political timing that is increasingly centered on the possibility of an early election.
According to the report, the caucus of B.C.’s governing NDP met Sunday night to discuss a potential early election after Findlay’s resignation, raising the prospect of voters heading to the polls while the Conservatives are still choosing how to present their team.
Doerkson, as interim leader, is described as the person positioned to lead the Conservative opposition in the near term, but the report notes he is not the party’s permanent leadership candidate.
The report says the Conservative constitution prohibits Doerkson from seeking the party leadership on a permanent basis, limiting how long he can remain the intended leader if an election campaign begins before a permanent contest is resolved.
In commenting on what lies ahead, Rustad said there are “obviously lots of people” in B.C. who do not know the Cariboo-Chilcotin legislator, referring to Doerkson.
Rustad also described Doerkson as a “quality individual” and said he is happy to have him lead the party into an election if that is what Doerkson wants.
The report frames Rustad’s remarks on the wider Conservative future as a response to speculation involving senior party figures, including former premiers Christy Clark and Gordon Campbell.
Rustad said people like Clark and Campbell need to “let politics go,” and suggested their time is over, in what appears to be an attempt to shift attention toward the interim leader and the caucus’s immediate readiness for an election.
← More stories