EXCLUSIVE: BC Conservative interim leader says party entering an 'exciting' new chapter

Exactly two weeks after John Rustad stepped down and closed one chapter in the history of the BC Conservatives, the Western Standard sat down with Interim Leader Trevor Halford to see how things have changed, and get a sense of what the future may hold.Halford said after months of turmoil, he and the party are finally "starting to hit our stride," noting that "the feedback has been excellent.""I am so proud of the people that we have inside that caucus room, the people at the party," he added. "It's pretty exciting.".Since March, five MLAs have either been booted from the party, or left of their own accord — all citing issues with Rustad. Halford said it would be up to caucus whether Independents Dallas Brodie, Tara Armstrong, Elenore Sturko, Amelia Boultbee, and Jordan Kealy are invited back.The latter has made it clear he has no intention of joining any party, pointing to infighting and drama within both the BC Conservatives and now defunct OneBC. When asked whether he foresees a surge of Independents, Halford said no.."No party's perfect, and if there is one then they're not telling the truth," he said. "We're all independent voices, but we're all stronger when we unify.".When asked what he thought of the unravelling of OneBC, Halford said, "not much.".Halford then spoke about how to better connect with voters.He argued that it's not helpful to present parties along a left-right spectrum, and instead focus on thinking "in terms of right and wrong."."99% of British Columbians walk around without a membership card for any party," he said. "The majority of people don't think like that."The conversation then turned to the BC NDP.Halford claimed that the government has "continually over-promised and under-delivered," and that this has lead to mistrust amongst British Columbians.."I believe this is a government that's tired and out of ideas," he said.Halford took aim at Eby for not doing enough to protect private property rights, calling the response "a complete abdication of leadership.".He also vowed to end the secrecy surrounding government - First Nations relations. Current regulations prevent nearly all records from being accessed by the public despite the fact that taxpayer dollars are at play."What British Columbians are wanting and are desperate for is transparency," he said. "This government is not transparent in any way, shape, or form."Halford also brought up Eby's handling of talks related to a new pipeline in the northwest, saying he wasn't surprised the premier was left out of conversations between Alberta and Prime Minister Mark Carney.."He's been an obstructionist his entire career — even before he got into politics," Halford claimed, "so we're seeing that come back.".Halford also went after the BC NDP for not doing enough to combat antisemitism, lamenting that it is "alive and well in British Columbia."."I think the first thing they need to do is actually state very clearly that they are against antisemitism," Halford said, questioning why the government seems hesitant to do so with as much vigour as they go after other forms of hate.He noted that when Eby addressed the crowd at a Hanukkah celebration in Vancouver on Sunday, he "couldn't even finish his words because the audience was so upset — and they had every right to be angry.""The Jewish community spends $100,000 a month on security," Halford continued. "It's a pretty damning statement that that is where their funds are going, and I think the province should be picking up the tab for that.".To end things off on a fun note, the Western Standard asked Halford to pick his favourite moment from beloved Twitter account @NoContextBCGov, which, as the name suggests, posts amusing clips of MLAs and other government officials with no context.."I see recently that they've got a 'Draft No Context BC' up," he replied, "so hopefully No Context BC is thinking long and hard about a potential leadership run, because we all need that extra laugh in our day."