John Rustad | |
|---|---|
 Rustad in 2016 | |
| Leader of the Opposition in British Columbia | |
| Assumed office February 18, 2025 | |
| Premier | David Eby |
| Preceded by | Kevin Falcon |
| Leader of Conservative Party of British Columbia | |
| Assumed office March 31, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Trevor Bolin |
| Member of theLegislative Assembly forNechako Lakes Prince George-Omineca (2005–2009) | |
| Assumed office May 17, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Nettleton |
| Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations ofBritish Columbia | |
| In office June 22, 2017 – July 18, 2017 | |
| Premier | Christy Clark |
| Preceded by | Steve Thomson |
| Succeeded by | Doug Donaldson (Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development) |
| Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation ofBritish Columbia | |
| In office June 10, 2013 – July 18, 2017 | |
| Premier | Christy Clark |
| Preceded by | Ida Chong |
| Succeeded by | Scott Fraser |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1963-08-18)August 18, 1963 (age 61)[1] Prince George, British Columbia, Canada[2] |
| Political party | BC Conservative (2023–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Residence(s) | Cluculz Lake,British Columbia, Canada |
John RustadMLA (born August 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who has served as theleader of the Opposition in British Columbia since 2024 and as the leader of theConservative Party of British Columbia since 2023. He has served as the member of theLegislative Assembly of British Columbia forNechako Lakes since2009.[3] A formerBC Liberal before his expulsion from caucus in 2022, he was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2005, representingPrince George–Omineca.[4] He served inPremierChristy Clark's cabinet as Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, and Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
Rustad was born and raised inPrince George, British Columbia. His father worked in forestry, and his mother was a homemaker. He has two older brothers.[5] Prior to provincial politics, he had worked in the forest sector for two decades, founding a consulting firm named Western Geographic Information Systems Inc. in 1995.[6] Between 2002 and 2005, he served as a trustee withSchool District 57 Prince George.[6][7]
Rustad was first elected to the legislature in2005 as aBC Liberal candidate, representing the riding ofPrince George-Omineca. Following the riding's dissolution, he was re-elected in 2009 in the current Nechako Lakes riding.[3] In his first two terms, he served as Parliamentary Secretary for Forestry to the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, and as a member of the Environment and Land Use Committee, Legislative Review Committee, Treasury Board, Select Standing Committee on Education, Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts and Select Standing Committee on Health.[8]
He retained his seat in the2013 election and was appointed Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation by Premier Christy Clark.[8] He kept his cabinet post following his re-election in2017,[9] and added the role of Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations to his duties afterSteve Thomson's election asSpeaker of the Legislative Assembly.[10] Rustad continued in both ministerial roles until that July, when the Liberalminority government was defeated in anon-confidence motion.
He was re-elected in2020, and served as the Liberals' critic for Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.[6] After suggesting online thatcarbon dioxide emissions were not contributing toclimate change, Rustad was removed from the Liberal caucus by leaderKevin Falcon on August 18, 2022;[11] he then sat in the legislature as anindependent politician.[7][12]
On February 16, 2023, Rustad joined theBC Conservative Party, giving the party representation in the legislature.[12] Rustad cited "irreconcilable differences" with Falcon in explaining his party change.[13]
On March 23, 2023, Rustad announced that he was running to be the leader of the BC Conservatives.[14] He wasacclaimed as the leader of the Conservatives on March 31, 2023, succeedingTrevor Bolin.[15]
On September 13, 2023, BC United MLABruce Banmancrossed the floor to join the Conservatives.[16] This gave the Conservatives the two MLAs necessary for official party status.[17]
Rustad led his party into the2024 British Columbia general election as the principal opposition party followingBC United's decision to suspend its campaign and endorse Rustad's party. The Conservatives won 44 seats, the party's best showing in over 70 years; the party hadn't won more than two seats in an election since 1953. On November 20, Rustad established hisOfficial Opposition Shadow Cabinet, in which every Conservative MLA received a portfolio.[18]
Since Rustad became leader, the BC Conservatives have overtaken BC United (formerly the BC Liberals until 2023) as the second most popular party in the province and are competing with theBC NDP for most popular. AnAbacus Data poll in December 2023 put the Conservatives' popular vote share at 26 percent, ahead of BC United at 17 percent but behind the BC NDP at 44 percent.[19] Later in August 2024, two months before theprovincial election, aMainstreet Research poll placed the Conservatives' popular vote share at 39 percent, ahead of both BC United at 12 percent and the BC NDP at 36 percent.[20]
In 2024, Rustad pledged to his supporters that he would scrap a housing reform implemented by BC NDP in 2023 that legalized up to four housing units on lots that previously only allowed single-family housing and six housing units on lots near rapid transit stations.[21] He described the reform as "a very authoritarian approach."[21]
Rustad has expressed concerns about rent control; however, in 2024, he said that his party did not intend to touch rent control.[21]
Rustad proposes removing from schools a set of teaching materials known as SOGI 123 (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) which according to CBC is a collection of "guides and resources that aim to help teachers addressdiscrimination andbullying, create supportive and inclusive environments for 2SLGBTQ+ students and acknowledge varyinggenders andsexual orientations".[22]
On September 30, 2023, Rustad shared a post on social media that appeared to compare the teaching of sexuality and gender to the residential school system.[23]
Rustad's comments aboutIndigenous peoples in Canada include that the efforts of theprovincial government of British Columbia to recognizeIndigenous land claims in Canada are "a direct assault onprivate property".[24]
In July 2024, Rustad has claimed that he regretted getting theCOVID-19 vaccine due to a heart problem shortly afterward, and thatCOVID-19 vaccine mandates were about "shaping opinion and control on the population". He has said thatflu and COVID-19 vaccines need to be available for "vulnerable people".[25][26]
At the same online meeting hosted by anti-vaccine groups, Rustad said that he would be open to working with other jurisdictions for a "Nuremburg 2.0" event to look into prosecuting people responsible for the province's public health measures and vaccines during theCOVID-19 pandemic, referring to an idea popular in anti-vaccine groups inspired by both theNuremberg trials and theNuremberg Code.[26] After reporting on the comments surfaced in October 2024, Rustad apologized and said that it was wrong to compare public health measures and Nazi German crimes.[27]
Rustad married his wife Kim in 1995.[28] Kim is acervical cancer survivor; as a result, they did not have children.[5] They have lived inCluculz Lake since 2009.[29]
| 2020 British Columbia general election:Nechako Lakes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | John Rustad | 4,611 | 52.24 | −2.15 | $17,423.82 | |||
| New Democratic | Anne Marie Sam | 3,031 | 34.34 | +4.53 | $9,236.20 | |||
| Christian Heritage | Dan Stuart | 413 | 4.68 | – | $991.53 | |||
| Libertarian | Jon Rempel | 403 | 4.57 | +0.32 | $0.00 | |||
| Independent | Margo Maley | 368 | 4.17 | – | $1,280.76 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 8,826 | 99.38 | – | $66,123.96 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 55 | 0.62 | –0.06 | |||||
| Turnout | 8,881 | 49.91 | –9.15 | |||||
| Registered voters | 17,794 | |||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | –3.34 | ||||||
| Source:Elections BC[30][31] | ||||||||
| 2017 British Columbia general election:Nechako Lakes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | John Rustad | 5,307 | 54.39 | +0.6 | $43,487 | |||
| New Democratic | Anne Marie Sam | 2,909 | 29.81 | +2.16 | $14,578 | |||
| Green | Douglas Norman Gook | 878 | 9.00 | +3.85 | $163 | |||
| Libertarian | Jon Rempel | 438 | 4.49 | – | $3,100 | |||
| Independent | Al Trampuh | 226 | 2.31 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 9,758 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 67 | 0.68 | ||||||
| Turnout | 9,825 | 59.06 | ||||||
| Registered voters | 16,636 | |||||||
| Source:Elections BC[32] | ||||||||
| 2013 British Columbia general election:Nechako Lakes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | John Rustad | 5,324 | 53.79 | –1.97 | $75,052 | |||
| New Democratic | Sussanne Skidmore-Hewlett | 2,737 | 27.65 | –7.64 | $56,108 | |||
| Conservative | Dan Brooks | 1,253 | 12.66 | – | $52,518 | |||
| Green | Colin Hamm | 510 | 5.15 | –1.15 | $1,599 | |||
| Advocational | Beverly Bird | 74 | 0.75 | – | $3,009 | |||
| Total valid votes | 9,898 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 42 | 0.42 | ||||||
| Turnout | 9,940 | 58.46 | ||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | +2.84 | ||||||
| Source:Elections BC[33] | ||||||||
| 2009 British Columbia general election:Nechako Lakes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures | ||||
| Liberal | John Rustad | 4,949 | 55.76 | $60,522 | ||||
| New Democratic | Byron Goerz | 3,133 | 35.29 | $7,480 | ||||
| Green | Gerard Riley | 559 | 6.30 | $350 | ||||
| Refederation | Mike Summers | 235 | 2.65 | $1,110 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 8,876 | 99.25 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 67 | 0.75 | ||||||
| Turnout | 8,943 | 54.80 | ||||||
| Source:Elections BC[34] | ||||||||
| 2005 British Columbia general election:Prince George–Omineca | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures | ||||
| Liberal | John Rustad | 8,622 | 51.71 | $87,794 | ||||
| New Democratic | Chuck Fraser | 6,180 | 37.06 | $64,805 | ||||
| Green | Andrej J. DeWolf | 1,393 | 8.35 | $2,139 | ||||
| Democratic Reform | Erle Martz | 479 | 2.87 | $983 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 16,674 | 100 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 91 | 0.55 | ||||||
| Turnout | 16,765 | 64.22 | ||||||
Media related toJohn Rustad at Wikimedia Commons