The Conservative Party of B.C. says it has removed John Rustad as party leader. The Nechako-Lakes MLA, however, says he is still the leader.
Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford has reportedly been selected as interim leader per a caucus vote, reads a Dec. 3 letter from the Conservative Party of B.C. posted to its social media. It adds the Conservative caucus has informed the party’s legal counsel that it no longer has confidence in the leader of the Official Opposition.
The letter says that having received the notice, the board of directors passed a motion “certifying that Rustad is, per section 11.02, professionally incapacitated and unable to continue as Party Leader of the Conservative Party Leader.”
It is unclear if Rustad remains caucus leader and Official Opposition leader. Some Conservative MLAs, however, say they were not at the vote and still support Rustad as leader.
Official Opposition house leader Á’a:líya Warbus says the leadership question is being worked out internally and an announcement will be made this afternoon via news release.
But Rustad took to his own social media Wednesday afternoon to say that he has not resigned, he has not been removed and he is “not going anywhere.”
“A political party’s board can throw around whatever creative terminology they like, ‘professional incapacitation’? Give me a break,” he said in his post to X. “Let me be clear : That’s not a constitutional mechanism.”
The situation is reportedly evolving minute by minute, according to a Black Press Media reporter at the B.C. legislature.
The move comes just hours after Rustad said he wouldn’t bow to pressure to resign after receiving a letter from a lawyer representing 20 of his party’s MLAs calling for him to step down.
“I’m not planning to step down,” he said.
Rustad called it “noise” and said the party ought to be focused on fixing the province’s problems and holding the government to account.
More to come.