(With files by Brendan Pawliw-MyPGNow)
Exactly one week after throwing his hat in the ring, John Rustad now finds himself in charge of the Conservative Party of BC.
The Nechako Lakes MLA was announced as the new leader today (Friday) by acclamation, replacing interim party head Trevor Bolin who stepped down earlier this year.
“As Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation, I signed over 400 agreements with BC’s First Nations. These agreements brought tens of thousands of jobs to BC and brought thousands of families out of poverty. Failure wasn’t an option then, and it isn’t an option now.”
“For the past 18 years, fighting for British Columbia has been my life. I am going to be focused, I am going to be relentless, and I am going to bring the fight to the woke NDP and Liberals who think that they should get to limit your job prospects, deny your freedom, gatekeep your healthcare, spend your money, tell you how to raise your children and reduce your public safety by having compassion for criminals instead of their victims,” added Rustad.
Last month, Rustad crossed the floor and joined the Conservatives after several months of representing his riding as an independent.
In August of 2022, Rustad’s 17-year run with the BC Liberals ended following some controversial social media posts on climate change.