BREAKING: Rustad wins B.C. Conservative leadership review with 70.66%

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has won a leadership review, with nearly 71% of party members backing him.

Source: X

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad has won a leadership review, with nearly 71% of party members backing him.

Of 1,268 eligible members, 70.66% voted “Yes” for Rustad to continue as leader, while 29.34% voted against him.

Rustad won in 78 of 93 ridings where votes were held. He lost in 10 ridings, tied in three, and two ridings recorded no votes.

“I would like to thank our members for coming out to use their democratic right and voicing their opinion on the direction of our party and movement,” Rustad said in a statement. “This process has localized democracy and allowed all members to not only vote in this crucial review, but share their concerns with me directly.”

Rustad added, “I believe the members have given me a mandate to lead and I believe British Columbians are hungry for an unapologetic common sense Conservative government. We will make it happen. It’s time we get back to the basics and be Conservative.”

Mark Robertson, the party’s returning officer, administered the leadership review process, and an impartial third party conducted the vote count.

According to the party, Robertson travelled across the province during the summer overseeing voting logistics.

“From the Kootenays to the Island, the Cariboo to the Okanagan, I had the privilege of seeing firsthand the enthusiasm of our members and the strength of our party’s grassroots,” he said in a statement.

In addition to the leadership vote, members were asked to approve Rustad’s 11-point Leadership Pledge.

The pledge saw 80.05% of members voting in favour. Key points included cracking down on violent crime, protecting children in schools, defending property rights, cutting taxes, limiting immigration, and prioritizing economic growth and healthcare reform.

Among the specific pledges, Rustad committed to “ban age-inappropriate content” in schools, “fast-track prosecutions for random attacks,” and restore “trust and transparency in our elections by strictly mandating ID requirements, hand-counting ballots, and ending mass immigration policies.”