Even as John Rustad was reaffirmed as the BC Conservative Party’s leader following a leadership review, the results of which were declared on Monday, it came with a stunning ouster of Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko, who was also the public safety critic, from the party caucus. This further embellished the image of the BC opposition party as a divided house.
On Monday evening, John Rustad said he had to remove Sturko for the sake of party unity. He, however, didn’t elaborate as to why such a well-known MLA like Sturko, who was a prized catch for the party when she crossed over from the BC United, had to be removed. “She worked hard, but unfortunately, we had to part ways, and I wish her well,” Rustad said at the presser.
Sturko told CBC News on Tuesday morning that she was forced to keep her socially liberal beliefs under wraps while in the Conservative caucus, a charge that Rustad denied when questioned about it. But Sturko said her stance on Pink Shirt Day and her vocal criticism of the controversy over a much-talked about Vancouver police board resignation got her a lot of backlash from the party.
Nevertheless, Sturko believes she would continue to be a strong critic of the government even as an Independent.
Political watchers say that even though Rustad has won the leadership review with over 70% of votes, Sturko’s ouster suggests his position is by no means secured and there would be more strong headwinds coming.