The new-ish leader of the BC Conservatives is a vocal supporter of working-class people and their personal freedoms, and is critical of the BC NDP government’s spending on social programs, climate and reconciliation attempts with First Nations.

So where did this guy come from? And what’s his vision for B.C.?

Small-town lumber barons 

Rustad was born and raised in Prince George, B.C., surrounded by blue collar industry folks, including his own family. One of three sons to a father who built their family wealth and local status on logging and timber sales, Rustad has seen what a hard day’s labour looks like. Unclear if he’s had many days of hard labour himself.

John’s dad, Laurie Rustad, and one of his uncles first worked for Rustad Brothers Saw Mill before starting their own logging operation, Gillhorn Lumber.

Later, Laurie went into real estate where he specialized in land and timber sales, looking for properties with “good timber potential” then brokering the sale of logging rights to lumber companies.

John followed in the family footsteps, working in the lumber industry for 20 years, including founding his own business in 1995: Western Geographic Information Systems Inc. — a consulting service to the forest industry.

John may be a public servant now, but his true loyalty is to logging companies. Many of the policies he champions today come straight from powerful industry groups like the Council of Forest Industries.

While logging is a reality in B.C., with thousands of people employed by the industry and grateful for the job, under its current model of rip ’em and ship ’em, it is also environmentally destructive, short-sighted and dangerous for workers felling trees.

The BC Liberal years

In 2002, Rustad was elected school trustee for District 57 in Prince George. He served for three years, then won a seat as MLA for the BC Liberals in Prince George–Omineca in 2005. Four years later, he was elected MLA for Nechako Lakes, which is the seat he’s held ever since.

In his first two terms as MLA, he served as Parliamentary Secretary for Forestry to the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, and as a member of the Environment and Land Use Committee, Legislative Review Committee, and a handful of others. 

In 2013, he was appointed to then-premier Christy Clark’s cabinet, becoming one of the high-ranking lawmakers in a government notorious for giving sweetheart government contracts to big political donors.

Rustad cut his teeth in a party that used creative math and budget tinkering to appear fiscally strong. Now, he’s breaking out the old BC Liberal song and dance, criticizing the NDP government for their budget shortcomings.

After Clark’s Liberals lost the provincial election in 2017, an inquiry was launched into the years of her government turning a blind eye to money laundering, which at the time allowed a steady flow of drug money through B.C. casinos to be “cleaned” and spent on real estate.

With Rustad on board, Clark’s government let our public education and medical systems wither on the vine while oil and gas companies raked in government subsidies. And it was only after a new government took over that the public found out ICBC was on the brink of collapse. All that, under a “balanced budget”.

Rustad’s time with the Liberals-turned-BC United ended when current leader Kevin Falcon kicked him out in 2022. Thankfully (for him), he found a new home with the BC Conservatives, quickly becoming their leader and spokesperson for right-wing ideals.

Rustad’s beef with Falcon

Rustad was supposedly booted from BC United for spreading climate change denial. But Rustad and Falcon are equally supportive of oil and gas industry expansion. It seems likely the split was rooted in a personal dislike for each other.

Rustad and Falcon worked together in the BC Liberal caucus for many years, but didn’t consider themselves friendly. Then when Andrew Wilkinson stepped down as leader, Rustad co-chaired a party leadership campaign for Ellis Ross, in direct competition with Falcon.

But Falcon became the leader. And it was under his leadership Rustad was kicked out. And later, as leader of the BC Conservatives, Rustad claims he reached out to Falcon to join forces under one united conservative banner. Rustad claims Falcon told him to “Fuck off” (a claim Falcon denies).

John Rustad has since minimized the climate-questioning social media post that led to his dismissal, and says the BC United party had became too controlling of what their MLAs are allowed to say. But as the newly emboldened leader of an increasingly popular political party, he’s now been quoted many times as a climate-ignorant buffoon. So it seems he meant what he retweeted.

Rustad’s stance is that carbon dioxide isn’t a big deal and people’s “fixation” on it is a red herring.

Editor’s note: Since the writing of this blog, BC United has folded its election campaign, and conservative political forces have aligned under one banner in B.C. John Rustad has a good chance of forming government, or at minimum being the leader of the formal opposition.

Running cover for oil and timber

When you listen to Rustad speak, it doesn’t appear he understands (or cares about) many of the complex issues a premier in 2024 should. And he seems happy about it, flaunting his disdain for social support, “woke-ness” and, of course, climate change.

In talking about proposals to reduce emissions from agribusiness companies, Rustad said “Somehow cows burping and farting changes the weather, this is the kind of nonsense going on with this stuff.” By “this stuff”, he means climate science. 

He’s also said “Taxing people into poverty isn’t going to change the weather.” That’s a snappy line Pierre Poilievre likes to use too, but it obscures the truth: taxing billionaires and big corporations would reduce emissions – and raise money to pay for the damage from climate disasters.

Rustad’s conservatives are benefiting from the popularity of the federal Conservative party led by Pierre Poilievre. But Rustad’s platform is apparently appealing to British Columbians, too. Polls show the BC Conservatives are neck-and-neck with Eby’s BCNDP.

Rustad is dismissive of building out renewable energy, despite the fact it could be a booming industry given the proper support. He’s posted strong criticism of renewable energy, and especially doesn’t like the idea of giving government subsidies to forward-thinking projects. No signs of outrage about billions of public dollars going to oil and gas companies, though. 

And more than anything, the BC Conservative leader is fiercely loyal to the timber industry.

He’s advocated for opening up protected areas for logging, including spots with old growth. He’s also talked openly about wildfires as a business opportunity: spreading the idea that timber companies could grab up all the scorched trees and turn them into wood pellets to sell  overseas to be burned for power.

Rustad is also stirring up a lot of false fears and misinformation around Indigenous land rights, a dog-whistle to voters who feel sympathy for residential school survivors has “gone too far” and a way to stay loyal to timber companies that are no doubt worried about losing profits when First Nations exert more authority over their rightful land.

Rustad voted in favour of UNDRIP legislation back in 2018, a document that reinforced the rights of Indigenous peoples to reclaim their land. But when it threatens timber companies? We know who’s side he’s on. 

The BC Conservatives – a short history

Unlike the federal Conservatives, the BC Cons have only had a minor presence in our provincial Legislature since the 1950s. B.C.’s first premier (once political parties became a thing) was technically Conservative, though the party has evolved over time as all parties do. 

There hasn’t been an elected member of the BC Conservatives since 1970. They didn’t have Official party status until last year when BC United MLA Bruce Mann crossed the floor and became the second serving party member. 

Ask most folks in B.C. who they’re voting for in the provincial election, and they’ll say Pierre Poilievre. The leader of the FEDERAL conservatives is deftly tapping into people’s current frustrations and fears around the cost of living, crime, drug addiction and immigrants. 

It’s on Pierre Poilievre’s laurels that John Rustad and the BC Conservatives now rest. But the distinction probably won’t matter. People are buying what the conservative brand is selling, regardless if they’re hearing it from a federal talking head or a provincial one.

That means there’s a very real possibility B.C. could end up with our first Conservative premier since 1903. 

Dear John

By all accounts, John Rustad has led a comfortable life in northern B.C., dabbling in power and politics by way of the Legislature since 2005. He has a nice house on a lake, and appears to own a ski boat. Maybe he’ll show up on election day Stockwell Day-style? 

His story isn’t one of a “struggling working man”, but rather someone who’s capitalized on his family’s roots in the business of cutting down trees.

Would John Rustad make a good premier in B.C.? I don’t think so. Just the opposite if Rustad lives up to all of his promises. He could actually do immense social and climate damage.

He’s never met an extraction project he didn’t like. And while all the parties in B.C. except the Greens support fracking and logging, the BC Conservatives are the most unabashed about wanting to drill, pump and burn more fossil fuels.

There’s still more to learn about John, like just how far he’ll go to grab power. But he’s already proven whose interests he’s really serving, and is happily offering up false or overly-simplistic solutions to systemic problems created by the very industries he promotes.