Rustad’s flip-flop farewell generates wide variety of public responses

John Rustad has officially resigned as leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, unleashing a flurry of reactions ranging from amusing to diplomatic to sharply critical.

Source: X

In a perplexing pivot, only hours after saying—in a now-deleted X post—“I am not going anywhere,” John Rustad has officially resigned as leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, unleashing a flurry of reactions ranging from amusing to diplomatic to sharply critical.

Rustad, who led the party to Official Opposition status in the province’s most recent election, announced his departure on Thursday in a lengthy X post, citing the need for renewal.

“The fight for British Columbia is far from over,” he wrote, urging supporters to join the party and vote for a new leader.

He defended his record, including his efforts to scrap the carbon tax and challenge federal overreach, while acknowledging recent “course corrections” came too late.

The resignation followed internal turmoil, including Rustad’s decision to expel MLA Dallas Brodie, who formed the rival OneBC party.

Brodie seized the moment, blasting the Conservatives as a “sinking vessel” filled with “corrupt backroom dealers.”

She touted OneBC’s agenda, including massive tax cuts and ending “the reconciliation industry,” positioning her group as the true conservative alternative.

“We are going to make BC normal again,” she declared.

NDP Premier David Eby offered a measured response, praising Rustad’s “commitment to public service” despite policy clashes.

“I wish him and his wife Kim all the best,” Eby posted on X.

But other provincial NDP figures struck harder.

B.C. Forestry Minister Ravi Parmar was less diplomatic than his party’s leader. Although he wished Rustad well, he slammed the Conservatives as “unfit to govern” and a “broken party.”

“A new leader won’t fix it,” he added in his own X post that drew mostly negative replies.

Within Conservative ranks, Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar fired back at Parmar, accusing him of lacking class amid forestry sector woes.

“Stick to the file you are currently failing miserably at,” Milobar retorted in his own X post, explicitly referencing mill closures under the NDP and Parmar’s watch.

At least one politician at the federal level also chimed in.

Conservative MP for North Island-Powell River Aaron Gunn didn’t mention Rustad by name, but did comment generally on the political developments in his home province.

“Without a strong, stable and unified Conservative Party in British Columbia, the province will continue to suffer at the hands of the NDP,” said Gunn in his own Thursday X post.

Perhaps the most remarkable response to Rustad’s resignation, however, came from within the Conservative Party of British Columbia’s own base.

Roughly eight hours after Rustad made his resignation official, the Conservative Party of British Columbia’s official X account announced a record-breaking amount of fundraising for a single day.