Amelia Boultbee has announced that she will be leaving the BC Conservative caucus, becoming the fifth to do so since the 2024 election.The Penticton-Summerland MLA took aim at John Rustad, declaring that "his failed leadership needs to end."During a press conference in Victoria on Monday, Boultbee warned that he was essentially ensuring the BC NDP win the next election."He has invited me to get the f out if I don't like it and I have taken him up on that offer," she said. "I can no longer stay silent and complacent as John Rustad runs this party into the ground.".Following Boultbee's announcement, Rustad said he had no intention of resigning, and argued that she was the problem. He alleged that she had refused to support caucus positions, supports Hamas, and has received complaints from people in her riding.Boultbee's move did not come out of the blue. For months now, she's had public disagreements with conservatives in British Columbia, namely fellow MLA Dallas Brodie, who left caucus in March over comments about residential schools and went on to launch OneBC.When Brodie sought to hold a party event in Penticton in September, for example, Boultbee took so social media accused her of spreading "harmful views," adding, "it's important to use my voice to call out views that don't align with our local values of equity and inclusion for all."Other MLAs who have left caucus include Tara Armstrong, Jordan Kealy, and, most recently, Elenore Sturko.
