Some shit shows never end and it's easy to believe the NDP is behind this all (not really).
John Rustad removed as B.C. Conservatives leader, party says
Party says board of directors have passed motion certifying Rustad as 'professionally incapacitated'
The B.C. Conservative Party says John Rustad has been removed as party leader, hours after 20 MLAs signed a letter saying they had lost confidence in him.
In a statement Wednesday, the party said a majority of caucus informed its legal counsel they no longer supported Rustad, triggering a caucus vote that selected Trevor Halford as interim leader. The party’s board has now certified Rustad as “professionally incapacitated” under section 11.02 of its constitution and formally appointed Halford in his place, according to its statement.
Rustad told reporters earlier in the day that he had no plans to step down, and has yet to respond to this latest development.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A letter signed by 20 B.C. Conservative MLAs is calling for John Rustad to be removed as party leader, but he says he has no plans to resign.
Sent to party president Aisha Estey Wednesday morning, the letter says the MLAs have “lost confidence” in Rustad’s leadership and want an interim leader to take his place.
The letter, issued by Crease Harman lawyer Bruce Hallsor, did not name the 20 MLAs, who make up a slim majority of the 39-member caucus.
Rustad told reporters Wednesday morning that he will not resign as leader.
“I’m not planning to step down.”
WATCH | Rustad says he will not step down:
John Rustad refuses call from 20 B.C. Conservative MLAs to step down as leader
A letter signed by 20 B.C. Conservative MLAs is calling for John Rustad to be removed as party leader, but he says he has no plans to resign. Sent to party president Aisha Estey Wednesday morning, the letter says the MLAs have “lost confidence” in Rustad’s leadership and want an interim leader to take his place.
The party leader said he has not seen the letter and noted that the disgruntled MLAs were not willing to put their names to it.
“There’s obviously some loud voices that are part of that group and I have been for some time listening to what those voices are," he said.
Rustad would not say if he plans to ask the MLAs who signed the letter to leave the Official Opposition, saying that’s an internal caucus matter.
He has faced multiple resignation calls in recent months.
In October, seven members of the party’s management committee, including Estey, signed a letter calling on Rustad to resign, citing a “state of chaos” within the party.
And in the last month, Conservative representatives from at least six B.C. riding associations have signed letters asking Rustad to step down, saying the party is unable to fundraise enough money because of problems with his leadership.
Rustad has repeatedly defied the resignation calls, citing the 70 per cent support he received from party members in September in the mandated leadership review.
There is nothing in the party constitution that requires Rustad to step down if some MLAs express non-confidence. It says the leader can only be removed by resignation, death, incapacitation or a leadership review.
There are currently 39 B.C. Conservative MLAs.
'It's not a surprise': Premier Eby
Asked about the woes of the Official Opposition leader, Premier David Eby said "it’s not a surprise that we continue to see this chaos.”Eby says to form the B.C. Conservatives, Rustad brought together a group of MLAs who peddle anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and pro-Trump tweets.
“I don’t know how you could hold a group together with that kind of hodgepodge of craziness.”