Former B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad said he will not be running for re-election in his Nechako Lakes riding.
“Serving this province, and serving Nechako Lakes, has been some of the most rewarding times of my life. I am grateful for every year of it. That time is now done,” said Rustad in a statement Thursday.
Rustad said Premier David Eby’s snap election call has served to unite the Conservatives against a common cause, after weeks of turmoil and fractures.
“It has galvanized this movement. It has pulled people back together,” he said.
Rustad led the Conservatives from 2023 to 2025, overseeing a period of rapid growth for the party.
The Conservatives went from earning less than two per cent of the vote in the 2020 election to nearly forming a government with 44 seats in 2024, the party’s best showing in decades.
His tenure was also rocked by controversies and internal divisions that led to five members being either removed from the caucus or quitting to sit as Independents.
In late 2025, Rustad remained defiant against mounting criticism and calls for him to step down.
On Dec. 3, the party said a majority of the caucus no longer had confidence in Rustad’s leadership. The board passed a motion deeming Rustad “professionally incapacitated” and saying he had been removed as leader.
Rustad initially insisted he wasn’t going anywhere, but resigned the following day. He said staying on as party leader would have meant creating “civil war” within the party.
Rustad reflected on his time as leader earlier this week, after the recent resignation of leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay and appointment of interim leader Lorne Doerkson.
“I made a tremendous number of mistakes and I have to own those…And that created a lot of chaos because of those mistakes, and so be it. But I actually think we’re now at a really good place,” he said.
