The British Columbia Conservative Party has officially parted ways with its leader, John Rustad, following a tumultuous and very public internal conflict. Political observers are calling the spectacle a damaging "gong show" that has significantly weakened the party's position while inadvertently strengthening the governing New Democratic Party.
A Modern Political Inferno
The drawn-out battle to remove Rustad drew comparisons to ancient history. On December 4, 2025, Rustad formally submitted his resignation to the party caucus in Victoria, B.C., ending a leadership saga that critics say was handled with all the grace of a Roman tragedy. Commentators evoked the infamous tale of Emperor Nero fiddling while Rome burned, suggesting there were "far too many fiddlers while the political movement burned." The very public nature of the dispute served only to highlight deep divisions within the party.
Rustad's Political Journey
John Rustad's political career has been one of notable shifts. He was first elected as a B.C. Liberal MLA in 2005 and served in two ministerial portfolios under former Premier Christy Clark. His relationship with Clark's successor, Kevin Falcon, deteriorated, leading to his dramatic defection. In February 2023, Rustad crossed the floor to join the B.C. Conservatives, citing "irreconcilable differences" with the Liberal leadership.
At the time, many political watchers believed this move would mark the end of his relevance in provincial politics. The recent chaotic ouster seems to have confirmed those predictions for now, closing a contentious chapter in his career.
The Faded Glory of B.C. Conservatism
The current turmoil stands in stark contrast to the party's storied past. The B.C. Conservative Party, founded in 1903, was once a dominant political force. It won the first-ever election contested by political parties in the province, capturing 46.43% of the popular vote and a slim majority of 22 out of 42 seats.
The province's first two premiers, Richard McBride and William John Bowser, were Conservatives. After a brief period out of power, the party surged back under leader Simon Fraser Tolmie, who won the 1928 election decisively with 53.3% of the vote and 35 of 48 seats.
However, this resurgence was short-lived. The Great Depression devastated British Columbia, causing the net value of production and exports to plummet by nearly 60% and pushing unemployment to 31% by 1931. Tolmie's government was forced to establish relief camps, a move that fractured the fiscally conservative party at its core.
The badly divided Conservatives did not run a full slate of candidates in the 1933 election. Some members ran as Unionists, Non-Partisans, Independents, or Independent Conservatives. This fragmentation allowed Duff Pattullo's Liberals to win 34 of 47 seats and form government, while the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the precursor to the NDP, emerged as a major left-wing force.
The Conservatives briefly regrouped to join a wartime coalition government with the Liberals but had largely vanished from the electoral map by the early 1950s. The party won its last seat in a general election in 1975 and its final seat in a by-election in 1978.
Consequences and the Road Ahead
The very public manner of Rustad's removal has created significant immediate challenges for the B.C. Conservatives. Analysts argue that the internal drama has consumed the party's energy, distracted from policy development, and presented an image of disorganization to voters. This internal weakness is seen as a direct benefit to the incumbent NDP government, which faces a less unified opposition as a result.
The party now faces the dual task of healing its internal rifts and selecting a new leader who can rebuild its public image and reconnect with its historical roots while addressing modern-day British Columbia. Whether it can recover from this self-inflicted "gong show" and become a credible force in provincial politics again remains an open question.
