July 7, 2025
RED FM News Desk
SURREY, BC – The Conservative Party of British Columbia, which recently saw a dramatic surge in voter support, is now grappling with an internal struggle over its identity and leadership, according to long-time member Dave Sharkey.
Sharkey, who joined the party in 2017 and previously ran as a provincial candidate for the Libertarian Party, expressed his disillusionment despite the BC Conservatives coming remarkably close to forming government in October 2024. The party garnered 912,000 votes, a significant leap from the just under 36,000 votes it received in the 2020 election.
Sharkey pins the blame for what he sees as the party going “on the wrong track” squarely on Official Opposition Leader John Rustad, who many credit with the party’s recent revival from polling at a mere two percent.
The core of the dispute revolves around the party’s direction: should it be a populist movement or a more moderate one? A “big tent” party or a smaller, more focused one? This internal debate has already led to the departure of three members of the legislature and sparked arguments among riding associations.
This comes as party members are currently reviewing Rustad’s leadership, a process mandated by the party’s constitution.
Rustad assumed leadership a month after joining the party in March 2023. He had a long history with the BC Liberals, serving with them since 2005, until he was expelled in 2022 by then-leader Kevin Falcon. Interestingly, the dynamic between the two rivals shifted significantly in August 2024, when Falcon, whose party had rebranded as BC United, suspended his election campaign after members defected to the Conservatives.
Now, Sharkey argues that the Conservatives have essentially become a re-branded version of Rustad’s former party. He believes there’s “no appetite from the members to be that big-tent party.”
“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 stated. As the riding association president in Abbotsford-Mission, Sharkey is convinced that Rustad’s changes ultimately cost the Conservatives the election win.
A months-long leadership review is underway amid allegations from Rustad that three former Conservative MLAs — Tara Armstrong, Dallas Broadie and Jordan Keely — “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.
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