B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad is facing criticism over how he handled the departure of Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee.
Boultbee is the fifth MLA to either leave or be kicked out of the Official Opposition in the span of a year.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Rustad brought up concerns about Boultbee’s stances on various issues, as well as what he described as her health.
He was then asked directly if he was talking about her mental health.
“I had concerns when she’s in tears, staff are telling me that she’s very confused,” Rustad said.
Another MLA leaves the B.C. Conservative Party
He also said he was talking to staff about whether Boultbee should take a leave of absence.
Boultbee said she confided in Rustad five months ago that she did seek mental health support while working on a disturbing child abuse case as the party’s critic for the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
“He’s simply weaponizing information that is personal to me in order to cast doubt on me,” Boultbee told Gloria Macarenko of CBC’s On the Coast.
“I think it’s utterly shameful that a man who is trying to be the premier could say something like that when so many British Columbians struggle with their mental health. His misogyny is so deep that he says, ‘Oh, she’s crazy.'”
On Tuesday, Rustad denied that he was talking about Boultbee’s mental health.
“I did not raise mental health. What I did say is that we were providing support, and we had some concerns and we were trying to work through issues with her,” Rustad told reporters.
“Look, obviously emotions are something that is welcome and all people, I’ll tell you something, not just women cry.”
Rustad was asked why he spoke about Boultbee crying and being confused.
“Staff raised an issue of concern about an individual in our caucus and felt there needed to be support and attention and we tried to provide that to this individual.”
Asked if he would apologize to Boultbee, Rustad said: “I don’t believe I owe her an apology, no.”
Trevor Bolin, the former head of the B.C. Conservatives, said he’s been watching the drama unfold with dismay.
‘Misogyny is so deep’: Departing B.C. Conservative MLA takes shots at party leader
“It’s terrible. For John to bring up mental health, that was extremely disappointing,” said Bolin. “I hope that the backlash he’s seeing on social media has made him aware that there was a better way to handle that.”
Bolin, who led the party from 2019 until 2023, said Rustad should step down as he’s lost the confidence of many MLAs and party faithful.
“You’re the leader, you need to own that. You’re the only reason people are leaving.”
Conservative MLA Brennan Day wrote on social media: “To weaponize or trivialize someone’s health condition, mental or otherwise, is harmful to those who already face stigma in silence.”
Day has so far turned down requests for an interview to elaborate on his post.
Several NDP ministers slammed Rustad for his comments, including Attorney General Niki Sharma.
“I found it really disappointing that that’s the form of leadership he’s providing to people who look to him as a leader, not only to his own caucus but to the province,” Sharma said. “I don’t think you should be calling out somebody’s mental health and I think he should apologize.”
The party infighting comes amid a new poll from Abacus Data showing that 47 per cent of decided voters would cast a ballot for the NDP if an election were held, compared to 40 per cent support for the B.C. Conservatives.
Bolin said if Premier David Eby were to call a snap election next year, he believes the NDP would win a large majority if Rustad was still leader.
Rustad, however, said he has no worries about how his party would fare among voters.
“I welcome an early election call if the premier is so brave to do that,” he said. “Our internal polling actually shows us tied [with the NDP].”
The Official Opposition B.C. Conservatives are down five MLAs from their seat count of 44 after election day.
Two MLAs — Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong — formed a new party called One B.C. earlier this year.
Brodie was kicked out of the Conservative caucus in March after Rustad accused her of mocking residential school survivors.
Jordan Kealy — who left in solidarity with Brodie — and Elenore Sturko sit as Independents.
