# John Rustad

John Rustad MLA (born August 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the Opposition in British Columbia since 2024 and as the leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia since 2023. He has served as the member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Nechako Lakes since 2009. A former BC Liberal before his expulsion from caucus in 2022, he was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2005, representing Prince George–Omineca. He served in Premier Christy Clark's cabinet as Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, and Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

## Early life

Rustad was born and raised in Prince George, British Columbia. His father worked in forestry, and his mother was a homemaker. He has two older brothers. Prior to provincial politics, he had worked in the forest sector for two decades, founding a consulting firm named Western Geographic Information Systems Inc. in 1995. Between 2002 and 2005, he served as a trustee with School District 57 Prince George.

## Political career
### BC Liberals

Rustad was first elected to the legislature in 2005 as a BC Liberal candidate, representing the riding of Prince George-Omineca. Following the riding's dissolution, he was re-elected in 2009 in the current Nechako Lakes riding. In his first two terms, he served as Parliamentary Secretary for Forestry to the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, and as a member of the Environment and Land Use Committee, Legislative Review Committee, Treasury Board, Select Standing Committee on Education, Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts and Select Standing Committee on Health.
He retained his seat in the 2013 election and was appointed Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation by Premier Christy Clark. He kept his cabinet post following his re-election in 2017, and added the role of Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations to his duties after Steve Thomson's election as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Rustad continued in both ministerial roles until that July, when the Liberal minority government was defeated in a non-confidence motion.
He was re-elected in 2020, and served as the Liberals' critic for Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. After suggesting online that carbon dioxide emissions were not contributing to climate change, Rustad was removed from the Liberal caucus by leader Kevin Falcon on August 18, 2022; he then sat in the legislature as an independent politician.

### Leader of the BC Conservatives (2023–present)

On February 16, 2023, Rustad joined the BC Conservative Party, giving the party representation in the legislature. Rustad cited "irreconcilable differences" with Falcon in explaining his party change.
On March 23, 2023, Rustad announced that he was running to be the leader of the BC Conservatives. He was acclaimed as the leader of the Conservatives on March 31, 2023, succeeding Trevor Bolin.
On September 13, 2023, BC United MLA Bruce Banman crossed the floor to join the Conservatives. This gave the Conservatives the two MLAs necessary for official party status.
Rustad led his party into the 2024 British Columbia general election as the principal opposition party following BC United's decision to suspend its campaign and endorse Rustad's party. The Conservatives won 44 seats, the party's best showing in over 70 years; the party hadn't won more than two seats in an election since 1953. On November 20, Rustad established his Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet, in which every Conservative MLA received a portfolio.

#### Opinion polling

Since Rustad became leader, the BC Conservatives have overtaken BC United (formerly the BC Liberals until 2023) as the second most popular party in the province and are competing with the BC NDP for most popular. An Abacus Data poll in December 2023 put the Conservatives' popular vote share at 26 percent, ahead of BC United at 17 percent but behind the BC NDP at 44 percent. Later in August 2024, two months before the provincial election, a Mainstreet Research poll placed the Conservatives' popular vote share at 39 percent, ahead of both BC United at 12 percent and the BC NDP at 36 percent.

## Political positions
### Housing

In 2024, Rustad pledged to his supporters that he would scrap a housing reform implemented by BC NDP in 2023 that legalized up to four housing units on lots that previously only allowed single-family housing and six housing units on lots near rapid transit stations. He described the reform as "a very authoritarian approach."
Rustad has expressed concerns about rent control; however, in 2024, he said that his party did not intend to touch rent control.

### SOGI 123

Rustad proposes removing from schools a set of teaching materials known as SOGI 123 (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) which according to CBC is a collection of "guides and resources that aim to help teachers address discrimination and bullying, create supportive and inclusive environments for 2SLGBTQ+ students and acknowledge varying genders and sexual orientations".
On September 30, 2023, Rustad shared a post on social media that appeared to compare the teaching of sexuality and gender to the residential school system.

### Land claims

Rustad's comments about Indigenous peoples in Canada include that the efforts of the provincial government of British Columbia to recognize Indigenous land claims in Canada are "a direct assault on private property".

### Public health

In July 2024, Rustad has claimed that he regretted getting the COVID-19 vaccine due to a heart problem shortly afterward, and that COVID-19 vaccine mandates were about "shaping opinion and control on the population". He has said that flu and COVID-19 vaccines need to be available for "vulnerable people".
At the same online meeting hosted by anti-vaccine groups, Rustad said that he would be open to working with other jurisdictions for a "Nuremburg 2.0" event to look into prosecuting people responsible for the province's public health measures and vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, referring to an idea popular in anti-vaccine groups inspired by both the Nuremberg trials and the Nuremberg Code. After reporting on the comments surfaced in October 2024, Rustad apologized and said that it was wrong to compare public health measures and Nazi German crimes.

## Personal life

Rustad married his wife Kim in 1995. Kim is a cervical cancer survivor; as a result, they did not have children. They have lived in Cluculz Lake since 2009.

## Electoral record

vte2020 British Columbia general election: Nechako Lakes :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Rustad | 4,611 | 52.24 | −2.15 | $17,423.82 |
| | New Democratic | Anne Marie Sam | 3,031 | 34.34 | +4.53 | $9,236.20 |
| | Christian Heritage | Dan Stuart | 413 | 4.68 | – | $991.53 |
| | Libertarian | Jon Rempel | 403 | 4.57 | +0.32 | $0.00 |
| | Independent | Margo Maley | 368 | 4.17 | – | $1,280.76 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 8,826 | 99.38 | – | $66,123.96 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 55 | 0.62 | –0.06 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,881 | 49.91 | –9.15 |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | 17,794 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | –3.34 |
| Source: Elections BC |||||||
vte2017 British Columbia general election: Nechako Lakes :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Rustad | 5,307 | 54.39 | +0.6 | $43,487 |
| | New Democratic | Anne Marie Sam | 2,909 | 29.81 | +2.16 | $14,578 |
| | Green | Douglas Norman Gook | 878 | 9.00 | +3.85 | $163 |
| | Libertarian | Jon Rempel | 438 | 4.49 | – | $3,100 |
| | Independent | Al Trampuh | 226 | 2.31 | – | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 9,758 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 67 | 0.68 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,825 | 59.06 |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | 16,636 |
| Source: Elections BC |||||||
vte2013 British Columbia general election: Nechako Lakes :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Rustad | 5,324 | 53.79 | –1.97 | $75,052 |
| | New Democratic | Sussanne Skidmore-Hewlett | 2,737 | 27.65 | –7.64 | $56,108 |
| | Conservative | Dan Brooks | 1,253 | 12.66 | – | $52,518 |
| | Green | Colin Hamm | 510 | 5.15 | –1.15 | $1,599 |
| | Advocational | Beverly Bird | 74 | 0.75 | – | $3,009 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 9,898 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 42 | 0.42 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,940 | 58.46 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +2.84 |
| Source: Elections BC |||||||
vte2009 British Columbia general election: Nechako Lakes :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Rustad | 4,949 | 55.76 | $60,522 |
| | New Democratic | Byron Goerz | 3,133 | 35.29 | $7,480 |
| | Green | Gerard Riley | 559 | 6.30 | $350 |
| | Refederation | Mike Summers | 235 | 2.65 | $1,110 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 8,876 | 99.25 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 67 | 0.75 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,943 | 54.80 |
| Source: Elections BC |||||||
vte2005 British Columbia general election: Prince George–Omineca :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Rustad | 8,622 | 51.71 | $87,794 |
| | New Democratic | Chuck Fraser | 6,180 | 37.06 | $64,805 |
| | Green | Andrej J. DeWolf | 1,393 | 8.35 | $2,139 |
| | Democratic Reform | Erle Martz | 479 | 2.87 | $983 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 16,674 | 100 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 91 | 0.55 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,765 | 64.22 |