Former B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad Won’t Seek Re-Election as Provincial Race Takes Shape

Emma MacLeod

9/24/20265 min read

Former B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad will not seek re-election in next month’s provincial election, adding another prominent name to a growing list of veteran politicians stepping away as British Columbia heads into a snap campaign.

The Conservative Party of B.C. confirmed Wednesday that Rustad, the MLA for Nechako Lakes, will not be a candidate when voters head to the polls on Oct. 24.

The announcement closes a major chapter in the recent history of the provincial party.

Rustad helped transform the B.C. Conservatives from a minor political presence with no meaningful representation in the legislature into the province’s Official Opposition following the 2024 election.

In a statement, the party credited his role in that transformation, saying it would not have reached its current position without his work and commitment.

Rustad had already hinted earlier in the week that his time in frontline politics may be coming to an end, saying it was “time for an older generation of politicians to step aside.”

A Brief Return to Conservative Caucus

Rustad’s announcement came only days after he returned to the Conservative caucus during another period of significant internal upheaval.

He had been removed from caucus shortly before Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigned as party leader, but was invited back after Lorne Doerksen was appointed interim leader.

Rustad accepted that invitation, saying his time as leader was over but that he remained willing to help the party.

His decision not to run again means that return will be short-lived.

The announcement also comes against the backdrop of a snap election called by NDP Leader David Eby, with voters set to head to the polls about two years earlier than originally scheduled.

From B.C. Liberals to Conservative Leader

Rustad’s political career predates the recent rise of the B.C. Conservatives.

He previously served as a B.C. Liberal cabinet minister before being removed from that party’s caucus in 2022 by then-leader Kevin Falcon over social media posts questioning established climate science.

Rustad initially sat as an Independent.

In 2023, he joined the Conservative Party of B.C., giving the party its first seat in the legislature in decades and helping establish a foundation for its rapid expansion.

He later became party leader and led the Conservatives into the 2024 provincial election.

The result dramatically reshaped B.C. politics.

The NDP retained government with a narrow majority, while the Conservatives won 44 seats and became the Official Opposition.

For a party that had spent decades on the political margins, the result represented a major shift.

Leadership Ended Amid Internal Conflict

Rustad’s time as leader ended in December 2025 after months of internal tension within the Conservative caucus.

A majority of Conservative MLAs had indicated they had lost confidence in his leadership, leading to a highly public dispute over whether he would remain in charge.

Rustad ultimately resigned on Dec. 4, saying that continuing the internal fight would risk creating what he described as a “civil war” within the party.

He remained an MLA after stepping down.

The party subsequently went through further leadership changes, culminating in Findlay’s resignation this month and Doerksen’s appointment as interim leader.

Rustad’s decision to leave electoral politics now removes one of the figures most closely associated with the Conservatives’ rapid rise.

Several NDP Ministers Also Leaving

Rustad is not the only high-profile politician who will be absent from the upcoming election.

Four former NDP cabinet ministers have announced they will not seek another term.

Brenda Bailey became the latest to make that decision Wednesday.

Bailey had stepped away from the finance portfolio in August after being diagnosed with early-stage cancer. She subsequently underwent surgery and said she has since been declared cancer-free, although she continues to regain her strength.

Bailey said she still intends to participate in the campaign and support other NDP candidates.

Her announcement followed similar decisions from former health minister Ravi Kahlon, former emergency management and climate readiness minister Kelly Greene and former agriculture minister Lana Popham.

Their departures mean the governing party will enter the election without several experienced cabinet figures who played significant roles in the previous government.

B.C. Greens Make Major Move on Vancouver Island

The B.C. Green Party is also making changes ahead of the campaign.

Rob Botterell, the MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, announced he will step aside so party leader Emily Lowan can run in the riding.

The seat has been held by the Greens since 2017 and is expected to be an important focus for the party during the campaign.

Lowan, 26, has led the party since 2025 but does not currently hold a seat in the legislature.

She said Saanich North and the Islands is personally significant to her because she grew up in the area and developed a strong connection to the coastline and surrounding communities.

Botterell said Lowan would spend time meeting residents and listening to local concerns, noting the riding includes communities with differing priorities across the Gulf Islands and the Saanich Peninsula.

The Greens say they intend to run candidates in all 93 provincial ridings, while concentrating significant campaign attention on southern Vancouver Island.

Andrew Weaver Returns to Electoral Politics

Another familiar name is also returning to the provincial political scene.

Former B.C. Green leader Andrew Weaver has been named CentreBC’s candidate in Oak Bay-Gordon Head.

Weaver became the first B.C. Green MLA elected to the legislature in 2013 and later served as party leader.

He played a central role in the 2017 confidence-and-supply agreement between the Greens and the NDP that allowed the New Democrats to form a minority government.

Weaver later left the Green caucus and sat as an Independent before leaving the legislature.

CentreBC said his political and academic experience would be an asset to the party.

His candidacy adds another recognizable figure to a campaign already marked by shifting alliances, leadership changes and prominent departures.

Questions Remain Around CentreBC

CentreBC itself has undergone significant changes in recent days.

Several MLAs who had joined the party during turmoil within the B.C. Conservatives have since returned to the Conservative caucus under Doerksen.

Former CentreBC leader Peter Milobar was among those who rejoined the Conservatives.

Mike Bernier, a former MLA for Peace River South who had temporarily taken on a leadership role within CentreBC, has not yet confirmed whether he will seek a return to the legislature.

Bernier represented Peace River South for more than a decade before losing the riding to Conservative Larry Neufeld in the 2024 election.

He said he is currently working as a campaign strategist while deciding whether to enter the race.

A Rapidly Changing Election Landscape

The developments illustrate how quickly B.C.’s political landscape has changed since the last provincial election.

Rustad led the Conservatives through their breakthrough in 2024, but less than two years later he is leaving electoral politics entirely.

The NDP is simultaneously replacing several experienced cabinet ministers, the Greens are moving their leader into one of their strongest ridings, and CentreBC is trying to establish itself after losing several members back to the Conservatives.

With nominations still being finalized, the Oct. 24 election is taking shape as a substantially different contest from the one British Columbians voted in just two years ago.

Rustad’s departure is particularly significant because of the role he played in reshaping the opposition.

He entered the B.C. Conservatives when the party had virtually no presence in the legislature, led it through its largest modern electoral breakthrough, lost the leadership amid internal conflict, briefly returned to caucus and will now leave the legislature rather than seek another term.

As parties continue recruiting candidates and reorganizing ahead of election day, his decision marks the end of one of the most consequential recent chapters in B.C.’s shifting political landscape.

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