BC Conservative leader John Rustad fends off dissidents at convention to retain party control

B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad, who took over a political vehicle with no elected members two years ago and almost won last fall’s provincial election, fended off dissidents to retain control of his party at a weekend convention.

The Conservatives formed British Columbia’s official opposition in the October 2024 election. On Saturday, as 750 members of the party gathered for their first meeting since the election, and Mr. Rustad had a two-part agenda: He wanted to retain control of the party executive, and to pass constitutional changes that would only require such a gathering every four years.

Mr. Rustad held on to control of the party executive after a vote with a large field of challengers. In the face of an unhappy membership, however, Mr. Rustad offered up changes to water down his dramatic overhaul of the party constitution – amendments that secured enough support to allow him to save face. There will be no formal vote on his leadership, however, until the party holds another convention in the fall.

“We heard clearly from the floor that changes needed to be put in place,” Mr. Rustad said in an interview Saturday after the party accepted the new constitution.

He acknowledged unhappiness on the past of rank and file members. “Part of the problem was this party grew in 18 months, we went from zero to 44 [elected] members, we didn’t have a lot of time to engage with members are we were trying to build this.”

The Conservatives’ meteoric rise in B.C. began after Mr. Rustad took control of the party, but party delegates on the weekend issued a rebuke to his leadership, with challengers suggesting that the party has lost touch with its grassroots.

The selection of a new executive underscored divisions, and the fractious tone of debate led to warnings from the convention chair that he was prepared to expel persistently disruptive delegates.

Mr. Rustad endorsed a slate for the executive, including incumbent party president Aisha Estey. “We need to move to a professional board that provides the guidance, the governance that’s needed,” he told delegates.

He also backed proposed changes to the party’s constitution: “We need to change the structure if we are going to move forward.”

Mr. Rustad took over the BC Conservatives in March of 2023 after being kicked out of the BC Liberal caucus. On the eve of the October 2024 election, the BC Liberals – rebranded as BC United – abandoned the political field to make way for Mr. Rustad’s party.

During the election campaign, former BC United operatives shed light on BC Conservative candidates who had publicly shared racist and transphobic views, as well as conspiracy theories about vaccines. But Mr. Rustad stood by his candidates, saying his would be the party of free speech and Conservative MLAs would not be whipped to maintain caucus discipline.

The fall election resulted in a seismic shift in B.C. politics, with the governing NDP being reduced to a bare majority with 47 of 93 seats. The Conservatives had come within a hair’s breadth of winning. They now dominate the opposition with 44 MLAs. The Greens have two seats.

Despite that growth, the Rustad slate faced significant opposition, with four candidates running against his chosen party president. All four shared similar concerns, that the party needs to move away from a top-down leadership.

One of the candidates for president, Tim Thielmann, was removed as the party’s research director in December for his role in a highly public dispute, where 13 MLAs criticized another member of caucus, Elenore Sturko, for remarks she made as the party’s public safety critic in defense of ethnic and gender minorities.

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“If you are voting for me, you understand the power of the grassroots. We are going to build this party from the ground up,” he told delegates.

Later, in an interview, Mr. Thielmann said he ran against Mr. Rustad’s chosen candidate to create some distance between the leader’s office and the party executive. “In every party, you are going to have some people that are closer to the current leadership, and others that are closer to the base of the party,” he said. “You’ve got myself and others that have a lot of support amongst the rank and file.”

Ms. Estey, who held her position, told delegates the party needs to mature, promising to “help raise this party to a new level of professionalism.” But she assured delegates the party would remain true to its principles, promising to defend parental rights, private property and freedom. “I will never let this party become BC Liberals 2.0,” she added.

Mr. Rustad acknowledged those concerns. “What we are trying to do now is move forward,” he told the convention. “But we will never forget our grassroots.”