Watching the 小蓝视频 Conservatives in action the past few months, it’s clear there are two competing movements inside that party: Those that want to do the work of the Opposition, and those fighting culture wars on things like pink shirts and residential schools.
The three MLAs that exited the Conservatives Friday fall firmly into the latter camp. And while their criticism of John Rustad as a feckless, cowardly leader might initially sting the party brass, many left within the caucus and party think the departure of the far-right extremists could actually end up being a moment Rustad could use to improve the future of the Conservatives.
Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie was the first to exit Friday, after Rustad fired her for an online video mocking survivors of residential schools in a singsong voice for expressing “their truth” on deaths at Kamloops Indian Residential School when she contends no bodies have actually been found.
It wasn’t so much Brodie’s argument that got her ejected from caucus, with Rustad at various points over the last two weeks expending a great deal of his own political capital to defend her right to free speech.
It was Brodie’s odd behaviour behind-the-scenes, daring the leader to hold a vote to fire her, storming out of meetings and insulting colleagues publicly —at one point appearing to question the Indigenous heritage of house leader A’aliya Warbus and accuse her of siding with the NDP in believing residential school survivors.
All of that was untenable, regardless of whatever point she was trying to make.
Brodie’s public statement after being fired was a bizarre rant that portrayed Indigenous people as some sort of racial elite, holding her (a middle-aged white female lawyer from the second-richest riding in 小蓝视频) down from speaking the truth.
“The truth is a threat to powerful vested interests in the multi-billion-dollar reconciliation industry,” she wrote.
“Politicians like David Eby and John Rustad are willing to sell off British Columbia’s wealth and power, transferring it from the public to an elite racial minority — enriching opportunistic lawyers, consultants and chiefs along the way.”
Fighting the esoteric question of the number of bodies identified by radar at the Kamloops Indian Residential School has been Brodie’s sole contribution to provincial politics since being elected five months ago.
She represents a diverse riding of businesses, First Nations and wealthy residents, which borders the University of British Columbia — but she’s ignored it all in favour of that one issue.
Unlike many of her colleagues, Brodie hasn’t raised concerns from constituents in the house, advanced any items in her critic portfolio, fired up the troops in question period, participated in meaningful debate or advocated for government action on any issue.
Neither has Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy or Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong, both of whom quit to support Brodie after she was fired.
The sum total of their two careers so far has been to vote against a motion in the legislature denouncing American tariffs and then scramble to explain themselves amidst a wave of public backlash. Kealy also chose to focus for several days on criticizing pink shirt day for anti-bullying.
Meanwhile, many others in the Opposition Conservative caucus are actually doing the job of holding the NDP government to account: Transportation critic Harman Bhangu on the inland ferry strike, rural health critic Brennan Day on a young girl whose life-saving medication was cut off by government, jobs critic Gavin Dew on missing elements of 小蓝视频’s response to tariffs, labour critic Kiel Giddens who saved a biofuels refinery in his Prince George riding, rural critic Sharon Hartwell fighting for an ambulance station in a remote part of her riding, housing critic Linda Hepner attacking government’s housing policies, veteran critic Trevor Halford leading question periods, Indigenous relations critic Scott McInnis fighting for rural health-care staff top-ups in his riding, veteran Peter Milobar dissecting the provincial budget, agriculture critic Ian Paton pushing aid to farmers, addictions critic Claire Rattee sharing her story of addictions to push for reforms, and veteran Elenore Sturko for hammering government daily on safe supply and public safety.
One group is doing the daily work of meeting with organizations, gathering up local stories, critiquing government policies, amending legislation, tabling bills, crafting policy, proposing solutions and driving public awareness.
The other group wants to be culture warriors on social media, fight with the first group and suck up all the oxygen in the room.
Rustad has a lot of clout coming out of last month’s AGM, where he won all the board positions, policies and constitutional changes he wanted.
He’s so far sat on the fence for both groups, trying to keep the vocal minority happy at the expense of the larger, functioning majority. But with three of the extremists splintering off, all eyes are on Rustad to see if he’s going to use the moment to pick a side and chart a better future for the troubled Opposition party.
Rob Shaw has spent more than 17 years covering 小蓝视频 politics, now reporting for CHEK News and writing for Glacier Media. He is the co-author of the national bestselling book A Matter of Confidence, host of the weekly podcast Political Capital, and a regular guest on C小蓝视频 Radio.
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