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Mar 11, 2025 6:45 PM - Connect Newsroom

BC Conservatives Face Leadership Crisis Over Residential Schools Comments

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Rustad acknowledges that other members of his caucus may also decide to leave the party.(Photo: The Canadian Press)

The BC Conservatives are currently grappling with a leadership crisis over comments regarding residential schools, putting John Rustad's leadership in jeopardy. The party is scheduled to hold a leadership review this fall, and Conservative strategist Allie Blades suggests that recent events will serve as a significant test for Rustad’s leadership.

So far, three MLAs have chosen to sit as independents in the provincial legislature due to the party's internal divide. The dispute began in February after Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie made controversial comments about the former residential school site in Kamloops.

Rustad acknowledges that other members of his caucus may also decide to leave the party. However, he emphasizes that the party's primary focus is on holding the NDP accountable for issues like housing affordability and the ongoing drug crisis.

He added that he wanted the 44 MLAs in the caucus to move forward with the party in the right direction, but three MLAs felt that they could not remain a part of it, which is unfortunate.

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