Politics Insider: B.C. Conservatives say they’ve ousted John Rustad
Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let’s look at what happened today.
B.C. Conservatives say they have ousted John Rustad, their embattled leader.
But Rustad, a former cabinet minister under the BC Liberals, said earlier in the day that he would not quit, and it was not immediately clear whether he could be removed as leader of the party.
The party’s board of directors issued a statement noting that a majority of the Conservative caucus had informed the party’s legal counsel they no longer had confidence in Rustad.
Lawyer Bruce Hallsor wrote to party president Aisha Estey saying he was in possession of letters from 20 MLAs calling for Rustad’s removal.
The board said Rustad had been deemed “professionally incapacitated” and unable to continue as leader, a position he took on in 2023.
But Rustad cited the party constitution, which says a leader can be removed only by resignation, death, incapacitation or a leadership review.
The dissident MLAs have named Trevor Halford, a caucus member, their interim leader.
The Official Opposition party has 39 of 93 seats in the provincial legislature. The BC NDP are governing with 47 seats.
In other news, the Canadian government is buying $200-million of military gear for Ukraine through a mechanism set up by the Trump administration and NATO after the U.S. President signalled he wanted to reduce Washington’s contributions to Kyiv.
Steven Chase reports that the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) was developed by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Trump after the June NATO leaders’ summit in the Netherlands, where the U.S. said it wanted allies to shoulder far more of the burden of supporting Ukraine.
Kyiv has been fighting an all-out military assault from Moscow since February, 2022.
The aid, in combination with other money from allies, comes as Ukraine is under pressure to accept a U.S.-backed peace plan with terms unfavourable to Kyiv.
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad speaks to reporters following the throne speech at the legislature in Victoria on Feb. 18.CHAD HIPOLITO/The Canadian Press
Don’t abuse asylum system, Immigration Minister says: Lena Diab is warning foreign nationals against abusing Canada’s asylum system, as other G7 countries tighten their refugee rules.
Thomson, Weston families win bid for Hudson’s Bay charter: The auction process for the 1670 Hudson’s Bay charter has officially concluded, with the uncontested selection of an $18-million bid from two of Canada’s most prominent families to keep the historic document in the country and publicly accessible.
Ottawa rejects softwood lumber industry request for duties payouts: The federal government fears that direct intervention would further irritate the United States.
Alberta ends procurement talks with two firms tied to businessman at centre of health-care controversy: Hospital Minister Matt Jones announced the move, saying discussions related to proposed clinics in Red Deer and Lethbridge were terminated because of procurement issues and conflicts of interest at Alberta Health Services.
Ottawa housing spending to drop by more than 50%: Federal spending on housing is projected to drop by more than half over the next three years, according to a new report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer.
Mark Carney attended the Liberal caucus meeting and Question Period and met with Canadian tennis player Victoria Mboko.
Also, the Prime Minister’s Office says Carney will travel to Washington on Friday to represent Canada at the Final Draw ceremony for FIFA World Cup 2026. While in the U.S. capital, Carney will also attend the World Cup celebration and tree lighting ceremony at the Canadian embassy.
Party Leaders: In her Saanich-Gulf Islands riding, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended Parliament virtually and went to the Sidney Breakfast Club. Interim NDP Leader Don Davies attended the NDP caucus meeting and attended the Canada-Cuba Parliamentary Friendship Group Assembly. No schedules released for other party leaders.
Ministers on the Road: Foreign Affairs Anita Anand is in Brussels for the last day of a NATO foreign ministers meeting.
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien has been invited to appear before the Commons citizenship and immigration committee on “Operation Citizenship,” described in a motion passed by the committee as a “bureaucratic initiative” aimed at expediting the processing of citizenship applications in the months before the 1995 Quebec sovereignty referendum.
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The answer to today’s question: Brian Mulroney opened the embassy complex in May, 1989. It was designed by B.C. architect Arthur Erickson and was the second complex since 1927 to house a Canadian embassy.
