'That's not going to happen': BC Conservative leader not resigning – BC News

Photo: John Rustad

The leader of the BC Conservative Party has vowed to lead his party through the provincial election later this year.

Speculation about a possible merger between BC United and BC Conservative gained momentum this week with a report from Global News that said Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West was being courted to lead a unified right-wing coalition -Center party to take over.

This narrative was debunked shortly after the story was published by British Columbia Conservative leader John Rustad and Brad West himself.

In a statement to

“That’s why we worked even harder to build our party and defeat the NDP on our own,” he said.

“We built this party little by little with hard work – now people want to jump into the driver's seat and throw out our base. That will not happen.”

Among other things, I felled trees, fought forest fires and ran a small technology company in the natural resources sector.

I never expected to become a politician, let alone lead a party. But I was mad at the status quo and I've never been the… https://t.co/F0EQh4EOeT

— John Rustad (@JohnRustad4BC) May 16, 2024

The BC Conservatives have overtaken the BC United in the polls as the current official opposition faces a “political exit,” some pollsters said.

“I have promised thousands of British Columbians and our thousands of grassroots members – who took the initiative to register – to lead this party through the next election,” Rustad said.

Some in the business community have reportedly called on the two parties to work together to avoid a vote split that could give the BC NDP a large majority.

Brad West, meanwhile, says he has no current plans to enter British Columbia politics.

“If this ever changes, you will hear from me,” he said in a post on X.

338 Canada, which aggregates all recent polls, expects the BC NDP to win 41% of the vote and 62 seats, followed by the BC Conservatives with 30% and 28 seats. The forecast suggests BC United will have 16%, meaning they will be lucky to grab a single seat.

There's never a dull moment in BC politics, is there? I appreciate the interest in my future, but my plan is to be the best father I can be to my two sons, the best husband I can be to my wife, and the best mayor I can be can be for the people of Port Coquitlam.

If this ever changes, you will hear from me! pic.twitter.com/zZKvZ69viX

– Brad West (@BradWestPoCo) May 16, 2024