“I think we are now seeing the real John Rustad,” Penticton MLA Amelia Boultbee says. She’s sitting in an empty office in the basement of the B.C. legislature just hours after quitting the B.C. Conservative party on Monday. Online, there’s a furor playing out over Rustad questioning her mental health following her departure.

“The mask is slipping now that he thinks he's not touchable,” says Boultbee.

“We are seeing who he truly is. And I'm glad that we're seeing it now and not after he became the premier.”

It was hard to tell what was worse for Rustad on Monday—losing another MLA from his caucus, or the backlash he faced for how he handled it.

After Boultbee quit, Rustad gathered reporters outside his office and trashed her reputation. He accused her of supporting Hamas and its antisemitic positions. He said she leaks information to the media and doesn’t support his values. He openly questioned her mental health, claiming she frequently cries in her office, and is often stressed and confused.

“With regards to Amelia’s health, I see concerns when she’s in tears,” said Rustad.

“Staff are telling me that she is very confused, and so I mean I had some concerns. I mean, she’s had some issues in the past.”

Of all the ways for Rustad to react to Boultbee’s departure, that was probably the worst. Instead of saying he had policy differences with Boultbee, but wished her well in the future, he took the low road.

Inside his caucus, several MLAs were furious at Rustad for airing confidential personal health issues........

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