British ColumbiaJohn Rustad is facing calls to resign as leader, according to a scathing letter from the B.C. Conservative Party management committee. Five MLAs have been kicked out or quit the party since it became the Official Opposition last year.Party brass cite the ‘unprecedented level of turmoil that has engulfed our party’Katie DeRosa · CBC News · Posted: Oct 22, 2025 2:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 hours agoB.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad told reporters Wednesday that he won’t step down as leader despite calls from the party’s management committee to do so. (Emily Fagan/CBC)B.C. Conservative Party Leader John Rustad insists he won’t step down in the face of a new letter from his party’s management committee that calls on him to relinquish the leadership.“I am not going to be resigning,” he told reporters Wednesday.The letter, addressed to Rustad and obtained by CBC News, cites an “unprecedented level of turmoil that has engulfed our party” since the October 2024 general election.It says “the resulting state of chaos — driven by a series of decisions and actions taken under your leadership — has destabilized the party’s internal cohesion and diminished its public credibility.” WATCH | Rustad says he won’t resign and walks away from reporters:’I am not going to be resigning,’ Rustad tells reportersB.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad is standing firm after members of his party management committee called on him to step down. Five MLAs have left the Official Opposition party since last year’s election.The letter, dated Oct. 21, is signed by B.C. Conservative Party president Aisha Estey and six other members of the party’s management committee. “While the leadership inevitably involves navigating challenging circumstances, the constant and prolonged discord shows no signs of abating,” it reads.”The current and sitting members of the management committee of the board of directors cease to have confidence in your leadership. We ask that you immediately step down as leader,” the letter continues. Read the full letter here.Rustad recently survived a leadership review with more than 70 per cent support, albeit with a 15 per cent turnout rate. “I have received the management committee letter, I plan to speak to the management committee. This is an internal party matter and I have nothing further to say,” he said Wednesday afternoon. “I believe strongly in democracy, they’ve given me a mandate to carry forward. There are some people clearly who don’t believe in democracy, that’s fine, they have that right to voice their opinion, but I am going to be moving forward with the work that needs to be done.”Rustad would not comment Wednesday on whether he believes the party is in a state of chaos. Estey declined to comment. Under the party’s constitution, the board cannot force out the leader. The management committee that sent the letter was endorsed by Rustad when they were elected at the party’s AGM in March. Amelia Boultbee, the latest Conservative MLA to leave caucus, said that speaks to how much support for Rustad has eroded. “It should tell him that he’s lost the support of his most trusted people,” she said. “A good leader must know that you have to have the trust of the stakeholders around you. And why John doesn’t think he needs that is beyond me.”Elenore Sturko, who was kicked out of caucus last month after Rustad accused her of undermining his leadership, said Wednesday that he should resign. “I do hope John takes this recommendation by the board seriously so that the party can turn itself to a direction of renewal,” Sturko said. CBC News asked more than a dozen B.C. Conservative MLAs if they think Rustad should resign.Both Caucus chair Jody Toor and Abbotsford West MLA Korky Neufeld said, “Absolutely not.” Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer and Lorne Doerkson, MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin, were asked if they have confidence in Rustad’s leadership. “One hundred per cent,” Stamer said.”Yes, I do,” Doerskon said.Rosalyn Bird, MLA for Prince George-Valemont, was frustrated with the letter and the media’s attention on it instead of other more pressing priorities. “They join a riding association, they take out a membership and they get up on their rooftop and start yelling about what they want to hear and see and that’s what I am disappointed about,” Bird said. “So how about we focus on how we get better quality of living for B.C. residents instead of the soap opera?”Party down 5 MLAsSince forming the Official Opposition, five MLAs have been kicked out or quit the party. Boultbee said Rustad has prevented his caucus from voting on his leadership through “intimidation.”Rustad has come under fire for commenting on Boultbee’s health when asked about her departure, during which he said staff were concerned that Boultbee had been “in tears” and “very confused.” Rustad denied he was talking about her mental health and refused to apologize. Boultbee accused Rustad of weaponizing her personal information to discredit her. The former head of the B.C. Conservatives, Trevor Bolin, has also said Rustad must step down, saying the party cannot beat the governing NDP with him at the helm. “You’re the leader, you need to own that. You’re the only reason people are leaving,” Bolin said of Rustad, speaking to CBC News. Rustad also faced criticism last month from social conservatives within the party for firing B.C. Conservative caucus staffer Lindsay Shepherd, who called the orange Survivors’ flag — which honours residential school survivors — a “disgrace” and a “fake flag” on social media. The Official Opposition B.C. Conservatives are down five MLAs from their seat count of 44 after election day. Two MLAs — Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong — formed a new party called One B.C. earlier this year. Brodie was kicked out of the Conservative caucus in March after Rustad accused her of mocking residential school survivors. Jordan Kealy — who left in solidarity with Brodie — and Sturko sit as Independents. ABOUT THE AUTHORKatie DeRosa is the provincial affairs reporter for CBC British Columbia. She is based in Victoria. You can contact her at katie.derosa@cbc.ca.
B.C. Conservatives management committee calls on John Rustad to resign as leader
