Latest news with #DallasBrodie
Vancouver Sun
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
NDP ask RCMP to probe John Rustad's blackmail allegations against former caucus members
The NDP have written to the B.C. RCMP requesting an investigation into Conservative Leader John Rustad's allegations of blackmail by three former members of his caucus who left to sit as independents in March. In the letter, NDP caucus chair Stephanie Higginson wrote that 'blackmail is a serious crime' and that the public deserves to know if any of their provincial representatives or their staff have committed a crime. 'If any MLA or their legislative staff are engaged in it, British Columbians deserve to know, and any perpetrators should be prosecuted,' Higginson said to Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald. 'British Columbians also deserve to know if Mr. Rustad, the Leader of the Official Opposition, is not in possession of evidence to support his accusations.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The request from the NDP comes after a five-page letter Rustad sent to members of his caucus last week was leaked to the Canadian Press. In it, the Conservative leader alleged that Dallas Brodie, Tara Armstrong, Jordan Kealy and their staff are attempting to get MLAs and staff to leave the Conservatives or else private text messages and audio recordings containing sensitive information will be released. 'From what I have been told, the threat is framed as something like: we will pay you handsomely to join with us, and we will damage you if you refuse,' said Rustad in the letter. 'They are also threatening people with potential character assassination, and making other veiled threats — including about affecting people's personal lives and families.' On Tuesday, Premier David Eby warned Rustad that if he did not provide the information he possessed regarding the allegations to police, his party would request a formal investigation itself. The three independents have defended themselves against the charges levelled by Rustad, stating that the Conservatives are simply trying to forestall a 'caucus revolt' and that the allegations are 'wild, false and defamatory.' Instead they say Rustad's letter is meant to cover up alleged improprieties at the Conservative's AGM in February in which Tim Thielmann, Brodie's chief of staff, lost out on a bid for party president to incumbent Aisha Estey. 'All his letter was (is) just another attempt to lash out at others in order to deflect criticism of his own misconduct, just like he smeared Dallas Brodie with an out-of-context 3.5 second clip when she exposed the truth about the false claims of discovered remains in Kamloops,' reads a press release from the new OneBC party started by Brodie and Armstrong. They say they have not threatened any Conservative MLAs or party staff, nor have they offered them any benefits. None of the allegations, from Rustad, OneBC or the NDP, have been substantiated.
CTV News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
B.C. Opposition Leader John Rustad accuses former Conservative MLAs of blackmail
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad speaks to reporters following the throne speech at the legislature in Victoria, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito VICTORIA — British Columbia Conservative Leader John Rustad is accusing a group of legislators who split from the party of blackmailing its members and staff in a bid to take over and divide the Opposition. Rustad has confirmed the authenticity of a letter obtained by The Canadian Press in which he tells the Conservative caucus that their former colleagues and staff are threatening to release 'blackmail materials,' including secret phone recordings and text messages. Rustad's letter says the targets are being blackmailed to get them to take jobs or contracts with the former Conservatives, or to 'do or say certain things' if they want to prevent the materials being leaked. The letter says one unnamed staffer with the former Conservatives called 'multiple individuals in order to explicitly blackmail them,' and Rustad says in an interview that they're still deciding whether to contact the RCMP. Rustad doesn't name the former Conservatives, but Dallas Brodie, who was ejected from the caucus in January, says the letter consists of 'wild lies' and 'baseless, false, and defamatory' accusations about her new One BC party. One BC member Tara Armstrong says she won't comment beyond the statement that Brodie issued, while former Conservative Jordan Kealy, who didn't join One BC, says he has no involvement in the alleged blackmail. Brodie and Armstrong launched One BC last week. Brodie's departure from the B.C. Conservative caucus came over her controversial remarks about residential schools, prompting Kealy and Armstrong to quit the party in sympathy. This report by Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press, was first published June 16, 2025.
CBC
14-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
So you want to start a political party in B.C. Here are the logistics — and potential challenges
Social Sharing A new political party has emerged in British Columbia after two Independent MLAs, formerly of the B.C. Conservative Party, criticized the party's leader, John Rustad, for moving away from conservative values. So, what does it take to set up a political party in B.C.? And what does it mean for provincial politics? One B.C. officially registered as a political party on June 9. The party was set up by former B.C. Conservative MLAs Dallas Brodie and Tara Armstrong, born out of internal clashes within the Official Opposition as it struggled to unite a big tent party of MLAs with diverse views. Elections B.C. says to register as a political party, an organization must: have a primary purpose of fielding of candidates in provincial elections, have a proposed name that is not prohibited and have at least two principal officers — a financial agent and an auditor. There is no fee to submit a registration application to Elections B.C. As for the name, proposed political party names cannot include the words "independent" or "non-affiliated" and cannot be similar to the name of a political party that is currently registered, have an earlier application for registration pending or be likely to be confused with another political party's name that has been registered during the previous four years. A party cannot use a name that has appeared on a ballot in B.C. at any time during the last 10 years and cannot include information like a candidate's occupation, title, honours, degrees or any indication that candidates have held elected office. Because the party has two elected MLAs, they will get official party status in the legislature. That gives Brodie and Armstrong raises as party leader and house leader, respectively. All MLAs in British Columbia have a base salary of $119,532. As leader, Brodie will receive an additional $29,883 a year as party leader and Armstrong an additional $11,953. WATCH | Why these B.C. Conservatives became Independents: 3 former Conservative MLAS will sit as Independents in B.C. Legislature 3 months ago Duration 2:37 Three breakaway MLAs from the B.C. Conservative Party held a news conference on Monday. They are pondering starting a new party and hope to bring more MLAs to their side. It's left Leader John Rustad scrambling to keep his party united just three weeks into the legislative session. Brodie insists the party has a "path to victory" by courting the conservative base which is "disillusioned" with Rustad's leadership. However, there's already been a split among the three MLAs who left the B.C. Conservative fold; MLA Jordan Kealy, also a former Conservative, did not join One B.C., citing a "disagreement" over party values and leadership. It's an indication of how difficult it is to start a party from scratch, according to University of British Columbia political scientist Stewart Prest. Prest said any new political party faces the challenge of landing their message with a broad swath of British Columbians. Even established parties like the B.C. Liberals struggled to make inroads after they changed their name to B.C. United, Prest said. "At the same time, it does offer the the opportunity to start from a clean slate," Prest said. WATCH | Former B.C. United MLA starts centrist political party: Former B.C. United MLA launches new centrist party 2 months ago Duration 2:04 A former B.C. United MLA is launching a new political party aimed at attracting centrist voters after her original party collapsed. As Katie DeRosa reports, Karin Kirkpatrick says she wants to offer a balanced option in a polarized political landscape. The emergence of One B.C. means Rustad will be facing challenges to his big tent party on two fronts, said Andrew Reeve, former communications director for the B.C. Liberals-turned-B.C. United. Former B.C United MLA Karin Kirkpatrick has also launched a new political party called Centre B.C., courting former B.C. Liberals who feel Rustad has taken the Official Opposition too far to the right. "On certain issues, One B.C. will try to pull [the B.C. Conservatives] apart, probably on the cultural issues," Reeve said. "I don't know if that's a winning strategy in the province. I don't think there's enough voters in the ridings to win, and it's certainly not enough to form government. But it could be enough to split the vote and cause a lot of damage for Rustad."
Toronto Star
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Independent MLA Kealy doubts prospects of new B.C. party, but won't rule out joining
VICTORIA - Independent British Columbia legislator Jordan Kealy says he isn't ruling out joining a new political party formed by two fellow former B.C. Conservatives, but he also questions their electoral prospects. The new One BC party went public on Thursday, with Dallas Brodie announcing herself as interim leader and Tara Armstrong house leader as they unveiled plans to combat what Brodie called 'the globalist assault' on B.C.'s history, culture and families
CBC
13-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
2 MLAs form new B.C. political party that courts social conservatives
Social Sharing Two of B.C.'s three Independent MLAs have formed a political party that wants to lower taxes, take away teachers' right to strike, and crack down on so-called mass immigration. The party, called One B.C., also wants an end to what it calls B.C.'s "reconciliation industry," and to see the province allow for private healthcare. Dallas Brodie, MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, is the interim leader, while Tara Armstrong, who represents Kelowna–Lake Country–Coldstream, is the party's house leader. "There is a hunger out there for the policies that the B.C. Conservative party initially put forward and we all ran on," said Brodie. "We've got the base now disillusioned with what's happening with that party." Both politcians were elected as members of the B.C. Conservatives, but parted ways in the winter. One B.C. registered as a political party on June 9. Absent from the ticket is the third Independent MLA, Jordan Kealy, who is also a former B.C. Conservative. Kealy, the MLA for Peace River North, said there was a clash over the new party's values and leadership. "There was a disagreement in what our perspectives were and that's one of the reasons I asked to have more time to think about things," Kealy told CBC News. Watch | Why these B.C. Conservatives became Independents: 3 former Conservative MLAS will sit as Independents in B.C. Legislature 3 months ago Duration 2:37 It an attempt to grow the party and poach MLAs, One B.C. sent an email to those sitting as B.C. Conservatives. Armstrong and Kealy left in solidarity, accusing Rustad of diluting Conservative values. Since then, the trio has pushed issues in the legislature such as repealing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ending sexual orientation and gender identity policies in schools. CBC News asked Brodie how she can repair relations with Indigenous communities, including the Musequem First Nation in her riding, which said she has advanced views that amount to a denial of the experience of residential school survivors. Brodie denied that she was mocking residential school survivors in the podcast interview posted to YouTube. "I was mocking post-modern, woke culture that does not seem to accept that there are certain truths that are objective truths," she said. Brodie said Rustad advanced a "lie" to "dirty me up after while I was being thrown out of the party." WATCH | Comments made on a podcast changed the course of this MLA's career: MLA's podcast comments get her removed from B.C. Conservative caucus 3 months ago Duration 0:21 As for what she means by "defunding the reconciliation industry", Brodie said large sums of money are going to "law firms, accountants, consultants, developers and chiefs and councils and the money is not getting down to where it needs to be." "I don't know anybody in this province who doesn't want a better way forward for the Native kids and the kids who are living on reserves," Brodie said. Wade Grant, a Liberal MP and former Musqueam councillor, said it's shameful that Brodie is trying to "play into the fear of what reconciliation means." "Reconciliation is about bringing together Indigenous peoples, the First Nations, Inuit back into the fold of the mosaic of Canada," he said. Grant said Brodie's position is really "setting reconciliation back generations when we've moved so far forward." WATCH | Indigenous leader calls out residential school denialism: UBCIC president says politicians need to stop advancing residential school denialism 2 months ago Duration 9:57 The party also advocates for making teachers essential workers and stripping their right to strike, and to slash income taxes by 50 per cent for those making $100,000 or less. It also wants to end what it calls the "government's deadly healthcare monopoly" by allowing British Columbians to purchase private health care or insurance. NDP MLA Sheila Malcolmson says the party is founded on division. "These MLAs have attacked one group after the next — Indigenous people, LGBTQ+ people. They just want to make people hate each other. It's the most divisive and harmful politics we've seen in B.C. in our lifetimes," she said. Forming an official political party gives the two MLAs a pay raise, funding for caucus staff and more opportunities to ask questions in the legislature. Former B.C. Liberal and B.C. United communications director Andrew Reeve says the new party could siphon off votes from the B.C. Conservatives, which is also facing a challenge from another new party, Karin Kirkpatrick's Centre B.C.
