October 22,2025
RED FM News Desk
British Columbia Conservative leader John Rustad says he will not resign, despite being urged to quit by the party’s president and several members of its management committee due to what they describe as “chaos” within the official Opposition.
In a letter to Rustad, the committee members argue that turmoil under his leadership has damaged the party’s credibility and weakened its internal unity.
The seven signatories say Rustad was responsible for uniting the party behind a clear, shared vision and providing purposeful leadership.
They cite declining poll numbers, membership, fundraising, a shrinking caucus and staff, inconsistent policy positions, low morale, and waning enthusiasm among party members as evidence that his leadership is no longer serving the party well.
The letter’s authors, identifying themselves as current committee members, say Rustad should step down immediately so a new leadership race can be held.
Rustad told reporters that the letter was an “internal matter” and that he plans to “have an opportunity to speak with the management committee.”
The letter follows MLA Amelia Boultbee’s resignation from the B.C. Conservative caucus on Monday, making her the fifth MLA to leave or be ejected since last year’s provincial election, which nearly put the party in power.
In last month’s leadership review, Rustad received 70.6 per cent support from voting members, though some within the party questioned the legitimacy of the process.
The party’s constitution includes no mechanism for the management committee to remove Rustad as leader.
The letter thanks Rustad for helping elevate the party to become the largest official Opposition in the province’s history, but concludes that it is time for new leadership to push their shared vision of forming a Conservative government in British Columbia “across the finish line.”
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