Does John Rustad have the support of his Central Okanagan MLAs?

Who is supporting Rustad?

Photo: CPBC

Left to right; Gavin Dew, Macklin McCall and Kristina Loewen

Kelowna Mission MLA Gavin Dew is non-committal about his support, or opposition, for embattled Conservative Party of BC leader John Rustad.

“This is obviously a complicated and unprecedented situation. Two things are clear,” he said in a statement to Castanet.

“Firstly, John Rustad has a lot to be proud of in terms of bringing this party to where it is today. Secondly, it is more important than ever that we keep our party intact, get our shit together, and get focused on defeating the NDP. David Eby must be stopped.”

He did not provide an answer to a follow up question asking if he is still supporting Rustad as party leader.

The party’s board announced Wednesday it had removed Rustad from leadership of the party, declaring him "professionally incapacitated.”

Rustad swatted that aside and said there is no mechanism in the party’s constitution to remove him from leadership without resignation, death, incapacitation or a leadership review.

A letter from lawyer Bruce Hallsor to Aisha Estey, the president of the Conservative Party of B.C., says the MLAs who represent a majority of the 39-member caucus are calling for his removal and the appointment of an interim leader.

The letter says Hallsor has 20 "individually executed" statements which all say the member has lost confidence in Rustad's leadership. The names of those MLAs have not been revealed.

But we do know Kelowna Centre MLA Kristina Loewen is not among them.

"I ran with the Conservative Party of BC that was united under John Rustad in the last election and quickly gained momentum under his leadership," she said in a statement to Castanet, confirming she still backs Rustad as leader.

"I believe the values that BC voted for then are the values that they still stand for. I stand with British Columbians and I have not changed that position."

Castanet News has also reached out to West Kelowna-Peachland MLA Macklin McCall to inquire if he still has confidence in Rustad’s leadership.