Elenore Sturko booted from Conservative caucus after Rustad survives leadership review

Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko will sit as an Independent after leader John Rustad kicked her out of the Conservative caucus. 

Sturko told reporters Monday evening she was “absolutely blindsided” by her removal. She said Rustad questioned her support for his leadership. 

The MLA made headlines in 2024 when she defected from the now-defunct B.C. United party to the B.C. Conservatives.

Her ousting came just ahead of the first caucus meeting since Rustad survived a leadership review.

The results released earlier on Monday showed close to 71 per cent of party members who voted in ridings across the province approved of Rustad staying on as leader. 

The party said 1,268 of its members in good standing took part in the vote. About 9,000 members across B.C. were eligible to vote in the review. 

Members in 10 out of 93 ridings voted against Rustad, while three were evenly divided. 

Rustad said after the review he’s confident he has the support he needs from party members to be able to move forward and defeat the NDP in the next election. 

Sturko’s removal is the latest to highlight divisions within the B.C. Conservatives. 

It’s not the first shake-up this year for the Conservative caucus. Three other MLAs left earlier this year, criticizing Rustad’s leadership and alleging the party had become “toxic.” 

Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie was booted for comments she made about residential schools on a podcast. Tara Armstrong, MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream and Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy announced they would be leaving in solidarity. 

Brodie and Armstrong later announced they had started their own party, One B.C. 

Kealy remains sitting as an Independent. 

“Now, we’re witnessing the fallout again, with yet another caucus member caught in the storm,” said Armstrong in a statement. “This isn’t just political drama – it’s the cost of allowing a culture of fear, control, and dishonesty to take root.”