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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.