Someone is lying: Rustad declares BC United smear denials ‘not plausible’

VANCOUVER — Former BC Conservative leader John Rustad says the party must show “real leadership and real accountability” after Elections BC confirmed the now-defunct BC United orchestrated a smear website and mailer targeting him in the final weeks before the 2024 provincial election.Rustad, the sitting MLA for Nechako Lakes, told CKNW host Mike Smyth on Tuesday he never suspected the attacks came from within his former party..Rustad’s comments were in reference to new developments last week, when Elections BC fined the former BC United party $4,500 for “transmitting a false statement to affect election results.”The watchdog determined that senior BC United campaign officials directed the creation of firejohnrustad.ca — which falsely claimed to be run by disgruntled Conservatives — along with a targeted mailout..“I didn’t put it past the NDP to do it, but there was no evidence or proof there,” Rustad said. “I just didn’t even, couldn’t even dream. I couldn’t even fathom that former BC United would actually be trying to work on behalf of the NDP to prevent us from being government.The website and mailer appeared in late August and early September 2024, as Rustad’s Conservatives were gaining momentum. BC United later folded its campaign, with leader Kevin Falcon urging supporters to back the Conservatives.Rustad said he found the party’s denials from senior figures — including Caroline Elliott, Kevin Falcon, and former Peter Milobar campaign manager Mark Werner — not credible.“As a former leader, and I’ve been around a lot of campaigns, I can tell you that the leader doesn’t know, it is just not plausible. It’s not credible,” he said, noting the website required both money and coordination, including the use of official campaign funds..Rustad drew a distinction when asked about Milobar, saying “of course not” when it came to a question of whether his campaign should be disqualified, while stressing broader questions of ethics and fitness to lead based on Elections BC's findings.“Peter Milobar’s a good guy. He’s my colleague in the legislature and a very capable individual,” Rustad said. However, he questioned why Milobar initially defended his then-campaign manager Mark Werner — who has since stepped down from that role amid the revelations — instead of acting sooner.On Elliott, Rustad noted her close ties to BC United leadership at the time but stopped short of calling for disqualification, saying the decision rests with party members.“The issue here is credibility in terms of leadership and that is the question,” he said. “The majority of people that voted for us voted for the BC Liberals in previous elections. That’s fine. The issue is not about whether you’re a Liberal or Conservative. The issue here is credibility.”Rustad suggested the smear may have suppressed turnout or swayed undecided voters in a razor-thin election. The Conservatives fell short of a majority by a handful of seats, with some ridings — including Surrey-Guildford, being decided by just 22 votes.

Someone is lying: Rustad declares BC United smear denials ‘not plausible’

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