BC Conservative leader John Rustad came to town. Rustad took the stage to chat with his audience without hype or manufactured excitement. He was well received, and there were no protesters or disruptions. His approach of common-sense, non-ideological themes is working. He seemed like the dad or uncle you have known all your life and trusted.The audience appeared exhausted from the NDPers' name-calling and labelling. In contrast, Rustad appeared as the non-politician political leader who could likely be the next BC Premier.The NDP still tries to invent the smear that Rustad is a climate change denier, based on a past comment reported in the media two years ago. Rustad challenges the naysayers by suggesting they look at the actual primary source video, which does not verify the media myth.Rustad says that we have observed gradual climate change in BC over the last twenty years and accept that human activity is a part of it. However, he says in view of the desperate social and economic problems facing communities, climate change spending and mandates must be placed in realistic priority. What one claims to believe about climate change matters little, as opinions don’t change the weather. However, what is being mandated by the government and how spending and rules are adjusted must be in balance with the needs at the kitchen table.Speaking to a full audience at Beach Gardens Resort in Powell River and the next day in Sechelt, BC, Rustad discussed issues such as eliminating the carbon tax, improving housing affordability, economic reconciliation with First Nations, and addressing addiction through recovery programs.Rustad said life in BC has become challenging because the governing NDP has made it difficult for people to live in this province. “Many British Columbians are thinking about leaving," said Rustad. “Worse, youth are thinking about leaving. People have lost hope. Who can blame them?”Rustad said the province has a problem with crime and with drugs. He added that there also is a huge problem with the healthcare system. Even the education system is in decline, and the resource sector is in a disastrous state."So how do we fix these things? We must get back to basics.” The first step is his party's pledge to get rid of the carbon tax. "It's $3.5 billion from people's lives, and the government is just taking it, using it for a slush fund for projects," said Rustad. “Let’s get that back into people’s pockets.” There are no rebates in BC like elsewhere in Canada, and the tax is not revenue-neutral.Rustad said the province produces only about 34% of the food consumed here. Two-thirds of the food we need comes from outside our borders, and that leaves us vulnerable. We need to double food production in this province.” Growing more of our own helps our food security and the environment.Regarding housing, Rustad said a lot needs to be done. “We have a government today that is pointing at everybody but themselves,” said Rustad. “Government has made it too difficult to be able to build housing in this province. I want to be able to make sure people can have an affordable place to live." “We’re going to make sure we get out of the way. We’re going to clean up the bureaucracy and the delays. We’re going to clean up the building code. We’re going to make sure we can get housing built in this province, just like it has been in the past.”Rustad said there are problems in the resource sector. Canfor had just announced the permanent closure of a mill in Fort St. John. “Analysts are saying that our forest assets in BC are being valued at zero.” “Remember, this used to be the backbone of British Columbia.”First, we are going to go to a single project, single permit. We're going to get rid of all the layers of bureaucracy and get back to delivering services for people so they can get to work."In mining, Rustad said there are 17 mines waiting, representing a $38 billion investment, which could create 20,000 to 30,000 jobs. He said the mines would add more than $800 billion to BC's economy throughout those mines' lives. “We’ve just got to get government out of the way,” said Rustad. It is possible to have responsible mining with appropriate environmental protections.On the economic front, Rustad said the $8 billion deficit needs to be brought down, which he says is unsustainable. He said he did not want to make an unrealistic promise of a quick, balanced budget. The NDP has put the province in such bad shape that change will take time to grow the economy and improve revenues. There will also be a program review with a sharp pencil."More importantly, we need to be able to invest in healthcare and education," said Rustad. "We need to be able to invest in dealing with addictions and crime, and we can't tax people any further. We need to be able to figure out how to reduce people’s taxes.”“Just last weekend, we had five different communities with emergency rooms closed. Wait times are frequently between 10 and 12 hours. A million people in this province don’t have family doctors. The system has failed, and you can't just throw more money at it and expect a different result. We need to look at models that work much better. We're looking at European universal health care models, like us.” Funding should be focused on the patient rather than systems and bureaucracy."There's lots we need to do in training nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals, especially for underserviced communities. We want to make sure that we put in enough incentives to be able to get doctors and other healthcare professionals to serve in communities that desperately need it."Regarding the opioid crisis, Rustad said if the Conservatives were to form the government, they would end ‘safe supply’ and decriminalization. He was critical of provincial health officer Bonnie Henry’s stance on drugs and said she would not have a position with a Conservative government. That quip drew immediate applause. Rustad said his government would have a strict policy of getting people into recovery.“My perspective on supportive housing, or housing for hard-to-house people, is if there are no additional services, you cannot impose a project into a community,” said Rustad. “The problem people are going to carry out their lifestyles. You get drug dealers that come in as part of it. This is happening in too many places.”When asked if a Conservative government would make hardcore drugs illegal again, Rustad responded affirmatively. He referred to the previous practice of giving police on the street latitude to exercise discretion. Police need the tools to respond responsibly on behalf of all of us.Rustad's low-key approach is working as he travels the province. He has not overly disrupted his candidate slate because the BC United Party dropped out of the election. Some currently elected BC United MLAs will be running as independents, and a few have transitioned to become BC Conservative candidates.The legacy media accusations of 'loopy' or 'whacky' do not find traction, especially when people meet John Rustad in person. After his chat with the audience, he takes the time to listen personally to everyone who lines up to shake his hand and talk after the meeting. In those one-on-one encounters, he responds as a walking encyclopedia on the minutia of governance.The media's descriptions of the growing pains of controversy for Rustad's Conservatives are a media invention that falls flat. The NDP campaign has gained nothing from anti-conservative slagging, and their boasting about their accomplishments brings little audience enthusiasm.The BC NDP is seen as doing a 'poor job' in the economy and health care. After party realignments, the focus shifts to party policies as voters assess who offers the best plan to deal with the pressing issues. Polling finds many British Columbians critical of the current government and preferring the Conservatives on some key issues.Overall, the NDP and the Conservatives appear to be tied in the polls at 47%. The recent addition of three former BC United MLAs brings the total number of sitting MLAs running as BC Conservatives to seven—eight if the count includes Rustad.Voters want relief and change, and in BC the non-NDPers have coalesced behind the BC Conservative Party and the low-key likable John Rustad as their leader.
BC Conservative leader John Rustad came to town. Rustad took the stage to chat with his audience without hype or manufactured excitement. He was well received, and there were no protesters or disruptions. His approach of common-sense, non-ideological themes is working. He seemed like the dad or uncle you have known all your life and trusted.The audience appeared exhausted from the NDPers' name-calling and labelling. In contrast, Rustad appeared as the non-politician political leader who could likely be the next BC Premier.The NDP still tries to invent the smear that Rustad is a climate change denier, based on a past comment reported in the media two years ago. Rustad challenges the naysayers by suggesting they look at the actual primary source video, which does not verify the media myth.Rustad says that we have observed gradual climate change in BC over the last twenty years and accept that human activity is a part of it. However, he says in view of the desperate social and economic problems facing communities, climate change spending and mandates must be placed in realistic priority. What one claims to believe about climate change matters little, as opinions don’t change the weather. However, what is being mandated by the government and how spending and rules are adjusted must be in balance with the needs at the kitchen table.Speaking to a full audience at Beach Gardens Resort in Powell River and the next day in Sechelt, BC, Rustad discussed issues such as eliminating the carbon tax, improving housing affordability, economic reconciliation with First Nations, and addressing addiction through recovery programs.Rustad said life in BC has become challenging because the governing NDP has made it difficult for people to live in this province. “Many British Columbians are thinking about leaving," said Rustad. “Worse, youth are thinking about leaving. People have lost hope. Who can blame them?”Rustad said the province has a problem with crime and with drugs. He added that there also is a huge problem with the healthcare system. Even the education system is in decline, and the resource sector is in a disastrous state."So how do we fix these things? We must get back to basics.” The first step is his party's pledge to get rid of the carbon tax. "It's $3.5 billion from people's lives, and the government is just taking it, using it for a slush fund for projects," said Rustad. “Let’s get that back into people’s pockets.” There are no rebates in BC like elsewhere in Canada, and the tax is not revenue-neutral.Rustad said the province produces only about 34% of the food consumed here. Two-thirds of the food we need comes from outside our borders, and that leaves us vulnerable. We need to double food production in this province.” Growing more of our own helps our food security and the environment.Regarding housing, Rustad said a lot needs to be done. “We have a government today that is pointing at everybody but themselves,” said Rustad. “Government has made it too difficult to be able to build housing in this province. I want to be able to make sure people can have an affordable place to live." “We’re going to make sure we get out of the way. We’re going to clean up the bureaucracy and the delays. We’re going to clean up the building code. We’re going to make sure we can get housing built in this province, just like it has been in the past.”Rustad said there are problems in the resource sector. Canfor had just announced the permanent closure of a mill in Fort St. John. “Analysts are saying that our forest assets in BC are being valued at zero.” “Remember, this used to be the backbone of British Columbia.”First, we are going to go to a single project, single permit. We're going to get rid of all the layers of bureaucracy and get back to delivering services for people so they can get to work."In mining, Rustad said there are 17 mines waiting, representing a $38 billion investment, which could create 20,000 to 30,000 jobs. He said the mines would add more than $800 billion to BC's economy throughout those mines' lives. “We’ve just got to get government out of the way,” said Rustad. It is possible to have responsible mining with appropriate environmental protections.On the economic front, Rustad said the $8 billion deficit needs to be brought down, which he says is unsustainable. He said he did not want to make an unrealistic promise of a quick, balanced budget. The NDP has put the province in such bad shape that change will take time to grow the economy and improve revenues. There will also be a program review with a sharp pencil."More importantly, we need to be able to invest in healthcare and education," said Rustad. "We need to be able to invest in dealing with addictions and crime, and we can't tax people any further. We need to be able to figure out how to reduce people’s taxes.”“Just last weekend, we had five different communities with emergency rooms closed. Wait times are frequently between 10 and 12 hours. A million people in this province don’t have family doctors. The system has failed, and you can't just throw more money at it and expect a different result. We need to look at models that work much better. We're looking at European universal health care models, like us.” Funding should be focused on the patient rather than systems and bureaucracy."There's lots we need to do in training nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals, especially for underserviced communities. We want to make sure that we put in enough incentives to be able to get doctors and other healthcare professionals to serve in communities that desperately need it."Regarding the opioid crisis, Rustad said if the Conservatives were to form the government, they would end ‘safe supply’ and decriminalization. He was critical of provincial health officer Bonnie Henry’s stance on drugs and said she would not have a position with a Conservative government. That quip drew immediate applause. Rustad said his government would have a strict policy of getting people into recovery.“My perspective on supportive housing, or housing for hard-to-house people, is if there are no additional services, you cannot impose a project into a community,” said Rustad. “The problem people are going to carry out their lifestyles. You get drug dealers that come in as part of it. This is happening in too many places.”When asked if a Conservative government would make hardcore drugs illegal again, Rustad responded affirmatively. He referred to the previous practice of giving police on the street latitude to exercise discretion. Police need the tools to respond responsibly on behalf of all of us.Rustad's low-key approach is working as he travels the province. He has not overly disrupted his candidate slate because the BC United Party dropped out of the election. Some currently elected BC United MLAs will be running as independents, and a few have transitioned to become BC Conservative candidates.The legacy media accusations of 'loopy' or 'whacky' do not find traction, especially when people meet John Rustad in person. After his chat with the audience, he takes the time to listen personally to everyone who lines up to shake his hand and talk after the meeting. In those one-on-one encounters, he responds as a walking encyclopedia on the minutia of governance.The media's descriptions of the growing pains of controversy for Rustad's Conservatives are a media invention that falls flat. The NDP campaign has gained nothing from anti-conservative slagging, and their boasting about their accomplishments brings little audience enthusiasm.The BC NDP is seen as doing a 'poor job' in the economy and health care. After party realignments, the focus shifts to party policies as voters assess who offers the best plan to deal with the pressing issues. Polling finds many British Columbians critical of the current government and preferring the Conservatives on some key issues.Overall, the NDP and the Conservatives appear to be tied in the polls at 47%. The recent addition of three former BC United MLAs brings the total number of sitting MLAs running as BC Conservatives to seven—eight if the count includes Rustad.Voters want relief and change, and in BC the non-NDPers have coalesced behind the BC Conservative Party and the low-key likable John Rustad as their leader.
