Turmoil Grows in BC Conservative Caucus
(Image courtesy CBC)
Deep divisions within the BC Conservative Party were on display this past weekend as more than 750 members gathered for the party’s annual general meeting, the first since becoming the Official Opposition in the 2024 provincial election.
The meeting, held at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo, saw party leader John Rustad consolidate power, successfully backing a slate of board candidates and pushing through a revised party constitution. However, tensions were high as some members accused the leadership of sidelining grassroots activists and limiting internal democracy.
Challenges to Leadership and Party Process
Rustad faced criticism from party members over delegate selection, board elections, and claims that grassroots activists were sidelined, raising concerns about transparency. A handout circulated at the meeting accused party president Aisha Estey and senior officials of revoking memberships, parachuting candidates into ridings without consulting local associations, and brokering a secret deal with BC United to withdraw from the election.
According to those in attendance, Victoria lawyer Bruce Hallsor, who chaired the meeting, shut down interruptions from dissenting members. “This is out of order,” he said, warning that further disruptions could lead to expulsions.
Leadership Review Calls and Internal Fractures
Rustad dismissed concerns over party unity, saying, “People have never seen a political party that accepts differences.” However, tensions were high after Conservative MLA Dallas Brodie posted on social media that there were “zero” confirmed burial sites at the former Kamloops residential school. Rustad said he asked her to remove the post, but it remains online.
Conservative MLA A’aliya Warbus condemned "denialism," while Kamloops MLA Peter Milobar also spoke out. “These types of things are very personal,” he said in an address to the legislature.
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Tim Thielmann, a former candidate recently fired as the caucus research chair after co-authoring a letter signed by 13 MLAs, openly challenged Rustad, calling for an immediate leadership review instead of waiting until the fall. “It doesn’t make us look very serious,” said another member, Bryan Breguet, pointing to public divisions over Rustad’s handling of internal conflicts and policy priorities.
However, some members accused the party leadership of manipulating the delegate selection process to sideline internal critics.
Policy Resolutions and Political Direction
The party passed several controversial policy resolutions, including a proposal to replace the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act with an ‘economic reconciliation’ framework, banning SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) materials from schools, and implementing mandatory treatment for people with mental health and addiction issues.
Rustad doubled down on his stance against SOGI, pledging its removal from schools. “Getting rid of the sexualization of kids is something that we stand for and we’re going to continue to do,” he said.
The party also reaffirmed support for nuclear energy, a tougher stance on tent cities, and changes to the province’s Firearm Act to ease regulations for gun owners.
Opposition Response and External Criticism
BC NDP MLA Sheila Malcolmson, who attended the convention as an observer, criticized the Conservatives’ focus, according to The Tyee. “I look at this Conservative agenda, and I don’t see any reflection of the priorities of British Columbians,” she said, pointing to economic threats such as potential tariffs from US President Donald Trump.
She also argued the Conservatives were focused on social issues at a time when British Columbians are more concerned with economic threats. “To have Rustad’s personal pick for party president be somebody who went to Trump’s inauguration, I just don’t see the fight here for the priorities of British Columbians. I see a party that’s divided and fighting among themselves.”
Aisha Estey, who was re-elected as board president, defended her attendance at Trump’s inauguration, saying she went as an observer and dismissed any suggestion of alignment with the former US president.
Gavin Dew, Conservative MLA for Kelowna-Mission, acknowledged the party’s growing pains but emphasized its future ambitions. "Yes, we’re going to have growing pains, but growing pains are the sign of a growing party because we are growing into a government-in-waiting."
“Yes, we’re going to disagree on things but fundamentally what we have to agree on is that we need to end the NDP.”
