B.C. Conservative Amelia Boultbee quits caucus, says leader Rustad needs to go

British Columbia Conservative legislator Amelia Boultbee is quitting the party caucus and calling on leader John Rustad to resign, saying he told her to "get the F out." She said during a news conference of the steps of the legislature on Monday that she would sit as an Independent and collaborate with former Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko, but would consider returning to the Opposition caucus if Rustad were ousted. Boultbee, the fifth MLA to exit the caucus over differences with Rustad, said her exit was not connected to political positions, but related to a "membership scandal" over alleged wrongdoing in the leadership election process and a matter of integrity. The results of a leadership review last month gave Rustad 70.6 per cent support among members who voted, but some party members have expressed concerns over the process. "If John was serious about caring more about the Conservative movement than his own ego, he should have gracefully resigned when the membership scandal emerged," she said. "That would have been appropriate. Instead, he has told us that he will cling to power by all means necessary." Rustad responded by saying he has "concerns" about Boultbee's health, because he had seen her "in tears." "I mean, she's had some issues in the past and I tried to do everything I could to support her in whatever those issues may be," he told reporters. In May, Boultbee joined Sturko in condemning a reception by their party colleagues for the Association for Reformed Political Action, which says it wants a "biblical perspective" on policy that critics say is anti-gay. The Conservatives were elected last year to Official Opposition status with 44 members in the legislature, but Boultbee's exit reduces their number to 39. Sturko was kicked out last month after crossing the floor from the BC Liberals to join the party last year, in a key defection that helped put momentum behind the Conservatives. MLA Dallas Brodie was ejected in May after comments she made about residential school survivors. Tara Armstrong and Jordan Kealy defected not long after and Brodie and Armstrong have since formed a new political party together. Boultbee said Rustad had a "track record" when it came to women in the caucus, saying he had "kicked out, driven out, or fired" a series of them. Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Wolfgang Depner