Thursday September 25, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Updated September 26, 2025]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad addressed delegates at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) 2025 Convention in Victoria today.
it was an overflow audience ar the Victoria Conference Centre to hear the Leader of the Official Opposition on this fourth day of the five day conference… less than two weeks ahead of the return of MLAs to the House for their fall session.
He caught audience attention by mentioning first the pending cull of ostriches on a farm in BC that had been exposed to avian flu, calling dor common sense (common sense se being a BC Conservative mantra).
He shifted then to the economy saying that BC currently has record requests, spending, deficit, debt and debt increase.
Rustad claims that the expenditures that the BC NDP government characterize as investments in building the Province “have led to no improvements”.
He listed off other major problems in BC as being drugs, crime and mental health.
He focused in on Metro Vancouver that he feels should have water, sewer and garbage utilities outside of municipal Metro management, i.e. privatization.
As a free enterprise party it was not course not surprising to hear Rustad criticize government bureaucracy which he says continues to expand in BC.
Rustad wants to see regular attention to water and sewer upgrades across BC… either to upgrade or to deal with aging infrastructure. Under David Eby’s NDP government there is in fact a standalone infrastructure ministry. Rustad said today that he wants to see “orderly upgrades with structural improvements”.
The BC Conservatives are opposed to recently proposed changes to the Heritage and Culture Act. He says it will contribute to costs and problems in “getting anything done”.
The position Rustad holds on Indigenous reconciliation is that it should be “about bringing people together on a path forward for a (better) future and “lift everyone up”. He says the way that DRIPA (Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act) is currently being executed in BC is causing “friction, frustration and anger”.
“UNDRIP is not working here in BC,” said Rustad.
He told the audience of over 400 municipal elected and administrative leaders today that economic reconciliation should be done in a way that “all people see the benefits”.
Rustad then delved into the contentious issue of the Cowichan tribes land claim in Richmond on the BC mainland. It will be “a huge problem for all of BC” in that it would set up two realities that cannot coexist: “Indigenous and private property rights cannot coexist,” he said, giving examples of some conflicts such as how would laws be applied and how would taxation be done.
“It would freeze out investment,” said Rustad, tagging that with “this is going to be coming to all of your communities”. The audience was rapt.
Rustad insists that BC is not pushing back hard enough against the trade aggression by the United States. America is a great friend and ally, he proposed but said that “we need to stand up or they will walk all over us”.
Thr BC Conservativeeader today said that BC’s forest sector “is on the verge of collapse”. Presently there is a 35% level of duties on softwood lumber exports to the United States.
The speech was about 20 minutes long.
As previously published earlier today:
A rocky one-year road:
Rustad has just recently survived a leadership review, gaining 71% of the vote of his caucus.
One of Rustad’s first actions as the renewed leader was to oust MLA Elenore Sturko from caucus (which is ironic, as she was one of the most high-profile MLAs that he wooed into the BC Conservatives from the former BC United Party). Sturko could sit as an Independent or might be wooed to serve in the Speaker’s role or shift to being an NDP MLA (the latter being the most unlikely due to philosophical differences).
In the Fall 2024 provincial election the BC Conservatives nearly cost the BC NDP their majority government status. The BC NDP under Premier David Eby in this 43rd parliament hold onto a threadbare majority by about one seat. MLAs are expected to be reliably available for votes in the House.
Rustad did a remarkable job bringing a formerly two-MLA party to nearly a majority in November 2024. But now almost a year later he has yet to prove that he can hold his party together or — perhaps even more important — bring forth debate and legislation that serves the broadest interests of British Columbians.
Back to session on Oct 6:
The fall session of the 43rd Parliament of BC will start on Monday October 6.
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: BUSINESS & ECONOMY | UBCM | 43rd PARLIAMENT OF BC | BC CONSERVATIVES