Ex-Conservative Party of B.C. MLAs were still venting rage at party leader John Rustad on Monday following the vehement argument that led to the caucus rupture last week.
Just three weeks into their first session as the biggest B.C. Conservative caucus ever, the pretence of unity disintegrated as MLA Dallas Brodie was ejected and two others — Jordan Kealy and Tara Armstrong — immediately quit in protest.
Brodie, from Vancouver-Quilchena, noted Monday there are “whispers” of more departures to come.
The trio made a media appearance Monday and said they will sit as Independents for a time before deciding on forming a new party.
It was Brodie’s post that there are “zero” confirmed child-burial sites at the former Kamloops residential school — and her subsequent podcast that appeared to mock testimony of survivors — that started the eruption last week.
Rustad said Brodie challenged the caucus to fire her, then walked out and is no longer welcome to return.
On Monday, Brodie said she was pursuing truth — that millions were spent for “archeological excavations” that never happened, and that more than 100 churches were vandalized, which political leaders felt was understandable.
The controversy about her stance is “how the reconciliation industry operates,” she said.
“Lawyers, consultants and chiefs, with help from the mainstream media, will attack anyone that dares to challenge their narratives … of eternal guilt and grievance to keep us divided.”
Armstrong, who is from Kelowna, said Rustad’s “cowardly decision to stab Brodie in the back reveals just how corrupt he has become.”
“He caved to the woke liberals that have now infiltrated his party. Now he’s revealing just how desperate he is to cling on to that power.”
Kealy, who is from Peace River North, said Rustad “does not have the courage or the integrity to defeat the NDP. The party has lost its way and no longer stands for the grassroots voter of B.C.”
Everyone recognizes the painful history of residential schools “but everyone should have the right to ask questions and seek answers,” Kealy said.
“People who ask questions or make hurtful statements should have the right to learn, not be thrown to the wolves.”
Referring to an explosive closed caucus meeting last Thursday, Kealy said there was “screaming and defaming” by what he called a “lynch mob.”
The first public sign of discontent after the Conservatives fell just short of winning the October election started last December. Thirteen MLAs signed a letter demanding Rustad curb their colleague Elenore Sturko for her criticisms of a Vancouver official who made dismissive remarks about gender transitions and mass immigration.
The issue subsided, but the fuse was lit and continued burning.
The party projected an air of unity when 800 members attended its annual general meeting in Nanaimo on March 1.
But four days later, the Conservatives detonated at the meeting where members had a yelling match, featuring walkouts and ultimatums.
Armstrong said a lot of Conservatives who wore pink shirts on anti-bullying day “were some of the biggest bullies.”
The origins of the blow-up go back to the sudden collapse of the B.C. United Party last August, Brodie said.
Several United MLAs got Conservative nominations and Brodie said there was friction.
“There was a bit of a honeymoon [after the election] and then the caucus meetings started to become not great.”
The episode confirms the B.C. Conservatives’ penchant for starting vicious internal arguments any time there’s more than one of them in a room.
It goes back 16 years or more, with at least four vivid examples (detailed here in December.)
Four years ago, a former leader quit over lawsuits involving him and a member.
Earlier, the late John Cummins’ attempt to resurrect the party failed due to friction between him and his only MLA.
Further back in time, a leadership argument between two factions turned into a huge argument.
An earlier merger attempt with another fringe party exploded in a floor fight at the ratification convention.
Rustad lived this experience from the other side three years ago when he was ejected from the B.C. Liberal caucus over his climate-change views. He spent much of the last four months defending his MLAs’ right to speak their minds and vote as they please. On Monday, he dismissed the crisis as “growing pains.”
Growing pains are when your knees ache.
Losing three team members in a hail of vitriolic abuse is a bit more than that.
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
