
Rustad faces ‘messy’ summer over B.C. Conservative leadership: political expert
VICTORIA — British Columbia’s Conservative caucus members are meeting in Surrey today in what a political scientist says could be the start of a “messy” summer for party Leader John Rustad.
It comes as Rustad’s leadership is under review and questions arise about his handling of allegations he made in a letter accusing some former Conservative members of the legislature of blackmail.
University of B.C. political science lecturer Stewart Prest says there is no formal mechanism for Conservative legislators to push Rustad out at today’s meeting, but it doesn’t mean they couldn’t do things in a “messier way” by withdrawing confidence in his leadership.
He says if they say they no longer have faith in Rustad, the leader’s options “are limited about what he can do,” regardless of what the party constitution says.