The hurricane of events that engulfed John Rustad on Wednesday and forced him out as BC Conservative leader, looked at times like chaos. But it was actually a very carefully organized plan—the steps chosen days in advance by many members of a Conservative caucus and party alarmed at collapsing fundraising, paralyzed caucus meetings, membership blowback and organizational disarray.

A key player: Courtney-Comox MLA Brennan Day, who, extremely unhappy with Rustad’s leadership, led the charge to gather 19 other likeminded MLAs for a declaration of non-confidence in their leader.

This rebel group began organizing alongside key members of the Conservative party HQ and board. Lawyers were retained to provide legal advice. Interim leaders were debated. Motions were crafted in advance.

It quickly built to a head after Rustad cancelled caucus meetings at the legislature set for Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, setting up a scenario where MLAs would have left for winter break without getting a chance to gather as a group and reconsider Rustad’s leadership.

Pushing off the next opportunity for a caucus showdown until January might have been a lifeline Rustad wanted, but it was a step too far for some MLAs, already unhappy at how Rustad and his allies had blocked attempts in previous weeks to allow for secret-ballot votes on his leadership.

The last signature on the 20-person list was inked Wednesday morning, giving the group a slim majority from which to launch a mutiny. Each MLA had signed off on a simple one-sentence pledge indicating they’d lost confidence in Rustad and were recommending to the BC Conservative party board that he be removed from office.

Fearful of retribution from Rustad, the rebel group chose Victoria lawyer Bruce Halsor to craft a letter to the party board keeping their identities anonymous but saying a majority of caucus had “lost confidence in the leadership of John Rustad, and calls for his removal as leader and the appointment of an interim leader.”

The letter was sent to legislature clerk Kate Ryan-Lloyd at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, with the hopes Speaker Raj Chouhan would refuse to recognize Rustad as leader of the official Opposition in the legislature. It would have been an unprecedented move, and put Chouhan, a BC NDP MLA, in an untenable position.

He sent word back........

© BIV