Now what?
It’s a question many BC Conservatives are asking themselves, after a rebel alliance of MLAs and party officials forced out leader John Rustad this week, plunging the official Opposition into a leadership race.
The declaration of non-confidence in Rustad’s leadership Wednesday resulted in him quitting Thursday, following a messy 24 hours of infighting. The move marks a turning of the page for the Conservatives, as the party goes from the leader who grew it from scratch to 44 seats in around two and a half years, to someone with a different vision.
MLAs took to social media late in the week to declare it a “new chapter” of the BC Conservative party. But who exactly will be the author?
Not interim leader Trevor Halford, who made clear to journalists on Thursday that he is acting in a caretaker fashion, to keep the party sharp during question period at the legislature but not make any major structural changes.
“I also respect the fact that there’s an asterix beside the name that says interim,” said Halford.
“I want people to really realize that I am not running to be the next premier of this province. But I am going to support whoever accepts that, and gets that by the membership. They will have my utmost support. But I’m also not going to be making decisions that should be made by somebody that takes over the office once that membership makes that choice.”
Halford ruled out approaching any ex-Conservatives to rejoin the party.
Elenore Sturko was fired by Rustad in September for organizing against him, and Amelia Boultbee quit in October. Three others — Jordan Kealy, Tara Armstrong and Dallas Brodie — left in March, with Armstrong and Brodie going on to form OneBC.
It’s also possible, in the short term, the Conservatives could lose more MLAs, as those loyal to Rustad (and even Rustad himself) digest how he was removed and re-evaluate their future in the party.
Then there’s the leadership race itself.
Leadership race holds a lot of unknowns
It will take some time to set the rules, procedures and eligibility criteria for what could be a crowded field of hopefuls looking to take the reins of the Conservatives.
Will the entry fee be high enough to weed out frivolous candidates? Will the scoring system allow the party’s many rural supporters to have an equal voice in picking a leader, or will it devolve into yet another mass membership sign-up blitz decided by Metro Vancouver ethnic communities? How do you ensure voter authentication in a digital age?
No one has officially declared their interest in replacing Rustad. Many appear to be taking Christmas to consider the issue, and wait for more details.
No declared contenders… yet
Names of potential folks to watch for declarations on whether they are in or out of the race include:
- Dianne Watts. A former Surrey mayor and federal Conservative MP, she ran for leader of the BC Liberal party in 2017, but came second to Andrew Wilkinson. She was campaign co-chair of BC Liberal Kevin Falcon’s leadership campaign in 2022.
- Iain Black. A former BC Liberal MLA and cabinet minister, he went on to serve as CEO of the Vancouver Board of Trade before trying, unsuccessfully, to win the riding of Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam for the federal Conservative party in 2025.
- Aaron Gunn. The founding father of the BC Conservative party, who helped take it over and modernize it after being barred from the BC Liberal leadership race in 2021. He has close ties to senior party organizers. Gunn is now the federal Conservative MP for North Island-Powell River.
- Ellis Ross. A former chief of the Haisla Nation who went on to become a BC Liberal MLA and now sits as a federal Conservative MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley and the party’s environment critic. He ran for leader of the BC Liberals in 2021, and came second to Kevin Falcon.
- Peter Milobar. The current BC Conservative finance critic, Milobar has been the MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson since 2017, when he was elected as a BC Liberal. He’s a former mayor of Kamloops. Milobar was one of the few BC United MLAs that leader John Rustad accepted as a Conservative candidate after that party shuttered before the 2024 election.
- Gavin Dew. The current BC Conservative jobs critic, Dew is also the rookie MLA for Kelowna-Mission. He has a long BC Liberal history, including helping the campaigns of Kevin Falcon, Michael Lee and Ralph Sultan. He ran, and lost, as a BC Liberals candidate in a 2016 byelection, as well as unsuccessfully for party leader in 2022.
- Harman Bhangu. The current BC Conservative transportation critic, Bhangu is a longtime Aaron Gunn supporter and former heavy-load trucker. He holds the BC Conservative riding of Langley-Abbotsford, but has deep ties in Surrey and is considered a prolific organizer for the party.
- Caroline Elliot. The sister-in-law of, and top lieutenant for, former BC United leader Kevin Falcon, she was instrumental in cutting a behind-the-scenes deal to fold that party and support the BC Conservatives before the 2024 provincial election. Elliott did her PhD on the tensions between Indigenous self-governance and Canadian liberal democratic principles. She has been critical of the Eby government’s reconciliation agenda, speaking out on issues like Aboriginal title on public land.
- Chris Gardner. The CEO of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, Gardner has a large profile in the business and development community, particularly in Surrey. In 2014-15, he served as principal secretary for Premier Christy Clark, and has been involved in past campaigns for Kevin Falcon and Dianne Watts, amongst others.
- Kerry-Lynne Findlay. A former cabinet minister in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government, Finlay spent almost a decade (off and on) as a Conservative MP before losing her seat of South Surrey-White Rock to the federal Liberals in 2025. She is considered on the far right spectrum of conservative social policies, and married to current BC Conservative Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman, who is on part-time duties while fighting cancer.
- Yuri Fulmer. A BC Conservative candidate in the last election, Fulmer lost the riding of West Vancouver-Sea to Sky to BC Green Jeremy Valeriote. Fulmer is a wealthy businessman, with a history in franchise restaurants like A&W. He now runs his own investment company and is chancellor of Capilano University.