MLA John Rustad ousted from BC Liberals after climate change spat

An MLA from northern British Columbia has been booted from the BC Liberals, one day after he was publicly criticized by the party’s leader for denying the role of carbon dioxide in climate change.

Opposition leader Kevin Falcon announced John Rustad's ouster Thursday – on the Nechako Lakes representative's birthday, according to his Facebook page – citing the need for elected officials to "work co-operatively on the important issues facing our province."

"Like any team, our caucus operates on a foundation of mutual respect and trust. While a diversity of perspectives are encouraged and a source of strength, they cannot exist without that important foundation in place," Falcon wrote.

"Following a pattern of behaviour that was not supportive of our caucus team and the principles of mutual respect and trust, I have removed MLA John Rustad from the BC Liberal Caucus effective immediately."

Speaking to CTV News over Zoom, Rustad said he believes climate change is real, despite disagreeing the crisis should be addressed by limiting carbon dioxide emissions, an approach that’s been adopted by governments around the world.

"The BC Liberal Party doesn't seem to be as inclusive as it was, and that to me was a challenge," the now-Independent MLA said. "We need to see a party that represents all of British Columbia and that accepts those views, and be able to have vigorous debate."

Rustad noted that he has "no ill feelings" toward either Falcon or his former party.

The backlash he faced this week came from a Facebook post he shared that cited Patrick Moore, a vocal critic of the environmental movement who is often labelled a climate change denier.

The post read, in part, that "the case for CO2 being the control knob of global temperature gets weaker every day," and ended with the hashtag #CelebrateCO2.

Falcon responded to the post Wednesday with a message stressing that Rustad “does not speak on behalf of caucus on this issue,” and that the BC Liberals support “substantive climate action.” 

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, emissions of greenhouse gases – including carbon dioxide – are driving the global crisis, leading to more wildfires, more frequent extreme weather events and other costly catastrophes.

Rustad was first elected as a BC Liberal MLA in 2005, and was appointed the party's opposition critic on forests, lands and natural resource operations in 2017.

He has previously come under fire over his stance on climate change. Last April, Rustad took umbrage when carbon dioxide was referred to as pollution in the provincial legislature.

"Now, I’m sorry. I get what the language and the rhetoric is. Carbon dioxide is an essential component of life on this planet. It is not a pollution. That sort of misinformation out there is just ridiculous," he said.