September 23, 2025
Parteek Singh Mahal
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad abruptly fired MLA Elenore Sturko from the party caucus shortly after winning a leadership review vote with just over 70% support. In an interview on the Harjinder Thind Show on RED FM, Sturko revealed that her dismissal was a result of her refusal to give an immediate pledge of loyalty to Rustad amid allegations of election act breaches by his team during the leadership campaign.
Despite the move, Sturko says she will not join the NDP and will continue to sit as an independent MLA, focusing on holding the government accountable.
According to Sturko, the party’s executive had shared information with the caucus about alleged “manufactured memberships,” with media reports even claiming that some members signed up by Rustad’s closest team members were deceased. When Rustad called her into a meeting and asked for her support, she explained she felt it was unfair to make that commitment before the caucus could discuss these serious allegations.
Sturko confirmed she had doubts about his leadership due to the “dishonesty” and conflicting versions of events provided by Rustad and the party executive. She said she was not given a warning, but had previously been open about her disappointment with his leadership. This time, however, she chose not to make a direct commitment to support him.
Despite being fired, Sturko stated she is “saddened and disappointed” but will remain an independent MLA. She committed to continue holding the NDP government accountable. When asked if she would join the NDP, she firmly stated that while no such conversations had taken place, and her desire is not to join the party, she would consider all options to best serve her constituents. She reiterated her strong opposition to many of the NDP’s policies, especially on law and order, drugs, and their “abysmal fiscal record.”
Sturko believes her expulsion was a sign of Rustad’s “weakness” as a leader, suggesting he needed the support of socially conservative caucus members to survive. She also denied Rustad’s accusation that she was leaking information to another radio host, stating it was “unequivocally untrue” and pointing out that leaks were already coming from within the party executive.
She called on her former colleagues to “have courage” and consider removing Rustad as leader. She suggested he has failed to build the “free enterprise coalition” needed to govern the province, and that a new leader is required to bring together fiscally conservative individuals from a broad range of beliefs. Sturko did not rule out that other unhappy MLAs might follow her lead and leave the party. She plans to continue her work as an MLA to bring about positive change in the province for her constituents.
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