Conservative Party of B.C. Leader John Rustad acknowledged divisions within his party, but denies their significance after five members of his caucus voted against a motion, which at least one Conservative called a trap.
"I'll put it this way, what family in this province doesn't have issues or divisions in it?" Rustad said Tuesday morning (Feb. 25), when asked about the motion. "The question is ... what unites us, not what divides us in terms of these issues and I can tell you what unites us. We look at what's going on in this province and and we say we need change. This government has been misspending money. They have been reckless. They have been destroying our economy."
Rustad added that the party ran on allowing MLAs more freedom, but also acknowledged that the party has gone through growing pains.
Rustad's comments come after five members of his party 鈥� Tara Armstrong (麻豆精选-Lake Country-Coldstream), Dallas Brodie (Vancouver-Quilchena), Brent Chapman (Surrey-South), Jordan Kealy (Peace River-North) and Heather Maahs (Chilliwack-North) -- Monday night voted against a motion tabled by the B.C. NDP condemning tariffs.
The motion tabled during private member's time calls on the legislature to condemn proposed tariffs as U.S. President Donald Trump "as wrong and unjustified" measures that threaten Canadian sovereignty.
The motion also called on MLAs to endorse the so-called "Team Canada" plan to respond to future tariffs with "proportionate retaliatory action," including strategically targeting industries and regions such as products from Republican states, to maximize pressure to deter President Trump from implementing or continuing tariffs.
The tabled motion passed 86-5.
Conservative MLA Bruce Banman, MLA Abbotsford South and his party's whip, said he did not like the bill "because it was a trap" but defended the votes of the five MLAs.
"So what you saw for the first time in a long time was MLAs voted with their conscience and were given the right to vote the way they wanted," Banman said. "There is no fracture. What people at home want when they vote for an MLA, they don't want that MLA to be a bobbling, parroting head like what's happening with the NDP. What they want want is their MLA to be able to speak on behalf of issues that are important to them."
Banman added that media would have to get used to the fact of Conservative MLAs not always agreeing with their leadership.
Kealy acknowledged that "it was a loaded motion that was brought forward by the NDP to...divide people's perspective" but defended his vote by pointing to the economic effects of tariffs including retaliatory tariffs. He also questioned the sincerity of the NDP's motion. "I'm tired of the games that we see in politics and the political jargon that people are getting tired of seeing and hearing," Kealy said. "I'm a farmer and mechanic and I speak my mind and I am genuine about what I say. When it came to that vote, I didn't like how it was and I called them out..in my comment on that motion."
Kealy said the motion deflected off the major problems currently facing B.C. "Trump is a different kind of politician," Kealy said. "He's not normal and we need a leader that to actually be able to negotiate with him properly...I think right now, we need to focus on diplomacy and make our costs of living lower."
Chapman said the first part of the motion was appropriate, but disagreed with language going after Republican states, because it could put B.C. into Trump's focus. "I don't think we are ready to to have it where he could single out British Columbia and punish us even harder," he said. "We have enough problems here already."
Maahs, meanwhile, rejected suggestions that Rustad is facing a revolt within his party. "Absolutely not," she said. "That's insane. We all stand on the same truths, the common sense goals that we all ran for, that we were all elected for. We are solid. I am telling you -- we are solid."
B.C.'s Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said his party was hoping for a sign of unity in tabling the motion. "But what we got instead was a (Conservative Party of B.C.) that is more interested in flying the MAGA-flag than the Canadian flag," Kahlon said. He added that workers in the forestry and mining sector are concerned about their jobs. "(Unfortunately), what we saw yesterday was a (Conservative Party of B.C.) that's more focused on not offending Donald Trump than fighting for the people that sent them here."
When asked about the risks about Trump targetting B.C., Kahlon said that Trump responds to strength. "He's going to keep coming," Kahlon said. "We have to be strong in our response and we need to be united. But unfortunately, that is not what we got."
Kahlon also rejected the argument that the motion was symbolic with no practical significance. "It was intended to send a strong message, that we are all united," Kahlon said. "Right now, what we are getting is a message from the Trump administration that they don't respect Canada and what they are looking for is weakness."
