NANAIMO: John Rustad has dismissed rumours that the BC Conservatives are a party divided beyond repair.He argued that letting MLAs vote with their conscience instead of blindly toeing the line and airing differences of opinion were evidence that under his leadership, democracy was alive and well.When asked whether there was any truth to the claims that the party was lacking unity, Rustad told the Western Standard that that was "not necessarily the case.""You're gonna have these factions," he said. "You're gonna have individuals — but that's normal in a political party."Rustad pointed to the actions taken at the annual general meeting as proof."I think you saw today in terms of the turnout, in terms of getting our constitution and the structural changes in that democracy is alive and strong in this party," he said, "and I'm looking forward to continuing to move it forward.".BREAKING: BC Conservatives elect new board of directors.During the AGM, delegates elected a new board of directors. All of those who won were "Team Rustad," with independent candidates failing to take a single position..BC Conservative delegates approve amendments to party constitution .A number of amendments to the party constitution proposed by Rustad were passed, including ensuring delegates are elected and reducing board member terms from four years to two. Delegates also gave the green light to omnibus approval of a new constitution.In a statement, a party spokesperson called it "a major endorsement by the members of John Rustad's vision and strong leadership of the Conservative Party of BC."Since the election, there have been a number of internal struggles within the party..REVEALED: BC Cons MLAs called on party to reaffirm support for free speech after Sturko criticized ousted VPB co-chair's posts.In December, 13 BC Conservative MLAs sent a letter to Rustad urging him to ask their colleague, Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko, to apologize for comments she made in response to posts shared by ousted Vancouver Police Board co-chair Comfort Sakoma. While Sturko refused, Rustad paid a visit to Sakoma's home and shared a meal with her as a gesture of solidarity.More recently, five BC Conservatives MLAs voted against what was supposed to be a unifying motion introduced by the BC NDP to condemn Donald Trump's tariffs and commit to a "Team Canada" response. The remainder of their colleagues voted for the motion..BC Conservatives split over MLA's Kamloops residential school post.After that, Rustad asked Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie to remove a social media post in which she defended a lawyer facing criticism for pointing out that no child burials have been confirmed at the Kamloops Residential School. Her refusal to do so split the party, with some coming to her defence and others criticizing her.Chilliwack-Cultus Lake MLA Á'a:líya Warbus came out against those who focus on whether burials at residential schools are confirmed or not, though she did not name Brodie."Physical evidence is one aspect you can hyper focus on," she wrote in a post on X, "and yes, you will be called a denier — because what is the end goal of your argument? It does not change what happened in these schools and the results we see with our own eyes today, suicide, poverty, addiction, children in care and the incarcerated."
