Three newly Independent MLAs say they plan to explore the launch of a new political party following a rift in the Conservative Party of B.C.
Speaking in Victoria Monday (March 10), the three MLAs 鈥� Vancouver-Quilchena's Dallas Brodie, Peace River North's Jordan Kealy and 麻豆精选-Lake Country-Coldstream's Tara Armstrong 鈥� spoke to media outside of the B.C. legislature, just days after divisions within the B.C. Conservative party were made public.
It was on Thursday that Brodie reportedly challenged the caucus to "fire her" and asked Conservative MLAs to have a vote on removing her, according to Rustad's statement. Brodie then reportedly walked out of the caucus room.
"I have decided to leave John Rustad's Conservatives because he doesn't have the courage or the integrity to defeath the NDP or to fight for the people in my constituency," Kealy said in a joint statement with Brodie and Armstrong.
On Friday, Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie was removed from the B.C. Conservative caucus, the party's leader, John Rustad, announced in a news release. Just a few hours later, Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy and 麻豆精选-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong both announced they would be leaving the party in support of Brodie.
Brodie said she "spoke the truth because it matters," adding she won't back down from it.
Armstrong said she's "not just standing up" for Brodie, but also "for every one of my constituents and every British Columbian who is being sold out by (Premier) David Eby and John Rustad."
Brodie had come under fire from the public, the NDP and fellow Conservative MLAs for her posted to X on Feb. 22 as the party's then-attorney general critic claiming "apparent mistreatment" of a lawyer who is suing his own law society for libel after having asked the society to reword training materials around residential schools. In her posts, she said "the confirmed number of child burials at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site is zero ... No one should be afraid of the truth. Not lawyers, their governing bodies, or anyone else."
Brodie refused to take down the post and posted her letter to Attorney General Niki Sharma on March 4.
On a recent podcast appearance, Rustad said Brodie used "a mocking, child-like voice to belittle testimony from former residential school students, saying things like 'my grandmother鈥檚 truth' and 'my truth, your truth' in a child-like 鈥榳hining鈥� voice." He referenced that podcast in his decision to remove her from the caucus.
Rustad said he believes strongly in free speech, "however, using your stature and platform as an MLA to mock testimony from victims alleging abuse, including sex abuse, is where I draw the line."
However, Rustad drew the line at denouncing Brodie's comments around burials and grave sites at former residential school sites. He said her removal is about an elected MLA using her position of authority to mock testimony of survivors of abuse, including child sex abuse.
In their joint statement Monday, the three Independent MLAs noted that "it's ironic that just three years after Kevin Falcon removed John Rustad from (the B.C. United) caucus," Rustad has now removed Brodie from the Conservative caucus.
With Brodie ousted, and Kealy and Armstrong defecting from the party, it brings the Conservatives down to 41 seats, widening the B.C.'s NDP's slim majority. The B.C. Greens hold two seats.
Two seats are needed in the legislature for official party status.
