VICTORIA – John Rustad has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party of B.C., saying he quit to avert a “civil war” in the Opposition ranks.
His departure came one day after he refused to resign in the face of a caucus revolt in which 20 MLAs representing a caucus majority said they had lost confidence in his leadership and wanted him out.
Rustad told reporters on Thursday that his “core people” and his wife had encouraged him to keep fighting but he said to do so “would be the creation of a civil war within the Conservative Party of British Columbia, and that is not in the interest of this party.”
He said that there were opportunities to fight the attempts to force him out, but “civil war means that you’re signing up people on one side versus signing up people on the other side.”
The party did not need that messiness before embarking on the search for a new leader, he said.
Rustad had said in a statement issued by the party caucus that the uprising against him “was not a hostile takeover by BC Liberals,” a reference to the centre-right party that imploded before last year’s provincial election, with many of its MLAs jumping to the B.C. Conservatives.
But in a separate statement on his personal social media account, Rustad said the battle over “the soul of this party” would continue and the party should be held to account.
In the caucus statement, Rustad said the party remained conservative, while acknowledging that many members and supporters may have been concerned by the Wednesday’s events, which saw him defy his own MLAs and party executives who said he had been removed because he was “professionally incapacitated.”
Rustad responded Wednesday on social media by saying he had not quit and was “not going anywhere,” but that message was deleted.
Trevor Halford has been installed as interim leader.
Halford said Thursday that there was an “asterisk” beside his name as interim leader, he was not running to be the next premier, and he was not seeking to take charge of the party permanently.
“I’m not here to make wholesale changes,” he said in a news conference at the legislature with MLAs standing behind him.
“I wouldn’t characterize this as a festive, happy moment,” he said, calling it an “emotionally difficult” moment.
The past 48 hours had been “excruciating” for the party, he said, yet there was no “gulf of ideology” in the party as it faced the prospect of a new leadership race.
But there were two views on the state of unity in the party, even within Rustad’s own statements.
In the caucus-issued remarks he spoke of the need for a “strong and unified opposition that is ready to hold this government to account and defeat it.”
“I have full confidence in our caucus, and I will continue to support our team as they fight for British Columbians every day,” Rustad said in Thursday’s caucus statement.
In the separate statement on social media, Rustad alluded to the schism within the party, and a potential leadership battle ahead.
“The media will try to anoint their preferred leader, but that may not align with what ordinary British Columbians need. So, I ask you to think carefully about the path ahead,” he said.
He encouraged people to sign up for Conservative memberships.
“Make your voice impossible to ignore. Hold this party to the same uncompromising standard of accountability that you held me to,” he said.
He also explained why he took so long to step down. He has faced months of criticism since taking the party to the brink of power in last year’s election, while the party caucus has been reduced to 39 after five MLAs exited over differences with him.
“Many of you have had strong opinions about my decision to fight for the soul of this party. And I understand that. I had a responsibility to stand my ground,” he said.
He added: “The fight for this province has never belonged to one person. It belongs to all of us.”
