Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee has resigned from the B.C. Conservative caucus and has urged the party leader to step down. Boultbee cited dissatisfaction with John Rustad’s leadership as the reason for her departure, stating that she has observed a decline in his leadership capabilities. She mentioned that Rustad had told her to leave if she was unhappy, and she has decided to take him up on that offer.
Boultbee called for Rustad’s resignation, expressing concern that as long as he remains the leader of the Conservative Party of B.C., he is paving the way for the NDP to win the next election. In response, Rustad accused Boultbee of leaking internal caucus information to the media, which he deemed unacceptable and damaging to the party.
Last week, Rustad admitted to conducting a search of his MLAs’ phones to identify the source of leaked information from a caucus meeting. Despite not finding any concerning material initially, Rustad continued to allege that Boultbee was responsible for the leaks, a claim she vehemently denied, threatening legal action if Rustad persisted with the accusations.
During a press conference, Rustad raised doubts about Boultbee’s positions on various issues and commented on her mental health. Boultbee disclosed that she had previously informed Rustad about her mental health struggles, particularly related to a distressing child abuse case she was handling as the party’s critic for the Ministry of Children and Family Development. She condemned Rustad for using her personal challenges against her, questioning his leadership integrity.
Conservative MLA Brennan Day criticized Rustad for his comments, emphasizing the harmful impact of weaponizing or trivializing someone’s health condition. Boultbee announced her willingness to rejoin the Conservative Party under new leadership, highlighting Rustad’s failure to provide MLAs with a voice in his leadership decisions.
Despite surviving a leadership review in September with substantial support, Rustad faced backlash from departing members like Sturko and Boultbee. The B.C. Conservative caucus has seen a decline in its strength, with several MLAs leaving to form new parties or sitting as Independents.
Sturko and Boultbee hinted at the possibility of collaborating on key issues but refrained from committing to forming a new centrist party just yet. They criticized Rustad for fostering a lack of trust within the party, leading to internal divisions and disarray.
Rustad’s handling of the party’s internal affairs, including phone searches and accusations of leaks, has drawn criticism and overshadowed the party’s focus on holding the NDP government accountable. Despite Rustad’s assertions of a unified direction to challenge the NDP, the party’s internal turmoil and leadership controversies have dominated recent headlines.
