By The Canadian Press

Former Conservative leader John Rustad decides against running for his old job

Feb 15, 2026 | 1:26 PM

VICTORIA — Former B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad has announced he will not be entering the party’s leadership race, saying the decision comes after “a lot of reflection.”

He says in a statement posted to social media that he did not make the choice lightly and he believes the best thing he can do for the party and the province is “support the next leader and help ensure we come out of this process stronger, not divided.”

Rustad resigned as the leader in December after 20 members of his caucus signed a letter saying they had lost confidence in him and the party’s board had declared him “professionally incapacitated.”

The announcement on Sunday comes after a report from CHEK News said Rustad recently requested and received a leadership application.

The party will hold a leadership vote on May 30, and each of the candidates are expected to submit applications signed by at least 250 members and pay $115,000 to appear on the final leadership ballot.

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: How far out of the box should we think?

9h ago

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Peters' Tumbler Ridge commentary was misplaced, lazy

Feb 14, 2026

TWO & OUT

PETERS: The cost of our collective malaise is children's lives

Feb 13, 2026

Ten candidates have entered the race so far.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2026.

The Canadian Press