BC Conservatives welcome former Liberal MLA

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — BC Conservative leader Trevor Bolin said he is excited to welcome and work with MLA John Rustad, who recently crossed the floor.

Bolin told Energeticcity.ca that having Rustad aboard would help the party better address the issues they are hearing from British Columbians. 

“We are always building the party, and we continue to tour around the province and listen to what people’s needs or wants, or even what their issues are,” Bolin said. 

In a release by the BC Conservative party, Rustad said the BC Conservatives were the only party suited to going against the current NDP government. 

“As British Columbians, we need to fight for a stronger, freer — and, this is key — more compassionate province. A province that understands the importance of fighting for personal freedoms, good jobs for working people, and lower costs of living for families,” Rustad said. 

Rustad is the MLA for Nechako Lakes and has been sitting as an Independent MLA since August 2022, when he was ousted from the BC Liberal party. 

Rustad was removed from the party by leader Kevin Falcon after sharing views that suggested carbon dioxide emissions did not cause climate change. 

Rustad retweeted the following post on Twitter on August 14th, 2022. 

No net warming in Australia for the past 10 years. And the Great Barrier Reef has more coral cover this year than ever recorded. The case for CO2 being the control knob of global temperature gets weaker every day. #CelebrateCO2!!https://t.co/xSjeBeb7A8 pic.twitter.com/VDKapADSZu

— Patrick Moore (@EcoSenseNow) August 14, 2022

Bolin mentioned Rustad’s “controversies,” saying he didn’t think someone should be kicked out of a party for “asking questions.” 

“The Conservative Party of British Columbia does not expect its MLAs or its candidates to ever toe the party line,” Bolin said.  

“We expect them to represent their constituents and do what’s right for their ridings.” 

Bolin also said the addition of Rustad signalled that B.C. residents may be more willing to vote for the BC Conservative party in the upcoming election. 

With files from the Canadian Press