Year-end interview: John Rustad on B.C. Conservatives' remarkable 2024

It’s been quite the year for B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad – his party soaring from less than two per cent of the popular vote and no seats in the 2020 election to nearly winning this year’s election.

“Obviously, it would have been great if we could have formed government, but I’m really proud of what weve been able to achieve as a political party and as an entity,” said Rustad on Dec. 10, reflecting on his party’s astounding result.

“I mean, it’s been since the 1930s, since the Conservative Party has really been a force in British Columbia.”

The collapse of BC United in late August was a dramatic event, mere weeks before the election, and was seen as helping pave the way for Rustad’s party. But, looking back, he thinks if that had happened earlier it might have been enough to push the B.C. Conservatives over the top.

“If BC United had pulled the pin three months earlier and then we would have had nomination races, all that sort of stuff, maybe that would have made a difference in terms of the election,” he said from his corner office in the legislature as the new leader of the Official Opposition.

Still, his party won 44 seats – more than any Opposition in B.C. history. The flip side of it for the MLA for Nechako Lakes is that he’s the leader of a party with 36 new MLAs

“Look at any family in the province. There’s issues that crop up in any family, and we are just a large family as the Conservative Party,” said Rustad, reflecting on inevitable squabbles within his caucus.

In fact, even before the legislature has sat, there’s already been fractures. At the end of November, in a leaked letter, 13 MLAs demanded that Rustad get their colleague Elenore Sturko to apologize for comments she made about former Vancouver Police Board chair Comfort Sakoma. The group of MLAs characterized the comments as "cancel culture."

Rustad maintains both sides have a right to speak their mind.

“If people want free speech, free speech means people have the right to say things that other people may disagree with, and it’s OK to have differences,” he said.

He insists he’ll support free votes by his members – and what sets his party apart is its willingness to allow such free speech.

“That’s a big thing that you’ll see between us and the NDP – you will never see them say anything outside of their message box,” said Rustad. “And that’s not how I want to do politics. I actually think it’s OK to have differences, it's OK for people to disagree. But we do agree on the big things, the things that are important for the people of British Columbia.”

He says he still hopes to bring down David Eby’s NDP as soon as possible. Asked when that could happen, Rustad muses it could happen early in the new year.

“It’ll be interesting to see what happens come January," he said. "Lots of things could be in the cards. A new year brings all kinds of interesting issues."

He adds that he thinks Eby’s leadership could be challenged.

“I don’t mean this to be mean, but I just think David Eby’s got lots of questions within his own group, within his caucus and party, and i suspect he’s going to have a tough time staying the leader of his own party over the next six to 18 months,” Rustad said.

As for the issues, he says affordability will be a major focus when the legislature does resume in the new year. Rustad points to eliminating mandates for electric vehicles by 2030 and heat pumps in new builds, and pledges that if he were premier, ditching the carbon tax would be legislated asap.

Expect fireworks in the spring, particularly around sexual orientation and gender identity resources in schools, and an end to the SOGI program featuring as topics in question period.

“I can guarantee you that there will be questions along those lines – and questions along parental rights, and questions along the sexual material that is being provided to children in our schools,” said Rustad.

In the wake of high profile stabbings in downtown Vancouver this fall, public safety also remains front of mind for Rustad and his party.

“We’ve got to add judges, we’ve got to add Crown prosecutors to make sure they go through. We have to create a whole new stream to deal with these prolific offenders,” he said.

As for his holiday plans, after a year with just four days at home while building the party, he has scheduled some down time.

“A week at home with family, and then go on the road for a little vacation,” he says with a smile.

Some rest before gearing up for the return of the legislature as leader of the Opposition in February.