British Columbia’s political landscape is undergoing a rapid transformation just weeks before a snap election set for 24 October. Long‑time Conservative MLA John Rustad announced he will not seek re‑election in his Nechako Lakes riding, while former Green leader Andrew Weaver has agreed to run for the fledgling CentreBC party in Oak Bay‑Gordon Head. The moves come amid a flurry of candidate realignments, leadership changes and a renewed push by the NDP to attract U.S. health‑care workers through an expanded advertising campaign.
Rustad’s Departure and Conservative Realignment
John Rustad, who revived the Conservative Party of B.C. and steered it to Official Opposition status, confirmed he will not stand again in the upcoming vote. First elected to the Nechako Lakes seat in 2009, Rustad served as party leader from 2023 until his resignation earlier this year amid an internal revolt. He was temporarily removed from caucus last Friday but was readmitted on Monday after a brief hiatus.
In a statement, the party praised his tenure: Under his leadership, our party grew from less than 2 per cent of the vote to Official Opposition. The Conservative Party of B.C. would never have reached where it is today without his conviction, hard work and willingness to stand up when few others would.
The Conservatives affirmed that every other MLA will run again and that the party board will pursue the appropriate means
under its constitution to ensure interim leader Lorne Doerkson remains at the helm if elected.
Weaver’s Move to CentreBC
Andrew Weaver, a climate scientist and professor at the University of Victoria, has agreed to contest the Oak Bay‑Gordon Head riding under the CentreBC banner. Weaver had briefly joined the Conservative Party earlier this year to cast a vote for Kamloops‑Centre MLA Peter Milobar in the leadership contest, but cancelled his membership when Kerry‑Lynne Findlay prevailed. He then offered quiet support to CentreBC, only to see seven of the eight Conservative MLAs who had defected to the centrist party return to the Tories on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, Weaver expressed his frustration: I thought, ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake. Does anyone have any principles left?’
He decided to run after learning that independent MLA Elenore Sturko would stay on as CentreBC’s new leader. I’ve always respected her. She’s sticking her neck out there. Good for her. I let them know.
Sturko, a former RCMP officer who was expelled from the Conservatives a year ago following a fallout with Rustad, said CentreBC is now vetting candidates for all 93 provincial ridings. Weaver hopes the party can win enough seats to deny the NDP a majority, warning that British Columbia’s $13.8‑billion deficit under Premier David Eby demands a more balanced legislature. My wish is that there’s a minority government and that nobody trusts anyone with the keys to the House by themselves, because they have not demonstrated their ability to act like adults in the legislature,
he added.
Political scientist Stewart Prest of the University of British Columbia noted that CentreBC faces a steep climb for relevance, but described Weaver as a star candidate
capable of making an impact in the affluent riding that houses the University of Victoria. He’s the kind of person who can create his own weather in that particular riding,
Prest remarked. Weaver first entered the legislature in 2013 as the province’s inaugural Green MLA, was re‑elected in 2017 and later helped forge a cooperation agreement with the NDP that ended 16 years of successive BC Liberal governments.
NDP’s Snap Election Call and Health‑Care Recruitment Drive
Premier David Eby triggered the snap election on Tuesday, setting the vote for 24 October. At a campaign event held at the B.C.–Washington State border crossing in Surrey, Eby announced plans to triple a government advertising scheme aimed at luring U.S. health‑care professionals to British Columbia if his party is returned to power.
The existing $5‑million initiative, launched in June 2025 and targeting workers in Washington, Oregon and California, has so far yielded roughly 800 doctors, nurses and other clinicians accepting positions in the province. An NDP government would earmark an additional $10‑million and extend the campaign to Republican‑controlled states where such workers encounter restrictions on providing reproductive care.
Eby framed the move as a stand against what he described as MAGA‑style policies, linking the BC Conservative agenda to former U.S. President Donald Trump. He cited a February 2025 social media post by Conservative MLA Heather Maahs, who wrote that Eby needs to comply
with the Trump administration’s demand to halt the flow of illicit fentanyl into the United States to avoid tariffs. Eby warned that a Conservative government would replicate the repressive conditions prompting U.S. health‑care staff to flee north. (The Globe and Mail has previously debunked the claim that synthetic opioids are pouring south across the border.)
Other Party Shifts and What Lies Ahead
The NDP also confirmed that former Global News and CBC legislative reporter Richard Zussman will run as its candidate in Saanich South. Meanwhile, Brenda Bailey became the fourth NDP cabinet minister to opt out of re‑election, joining Ravi Kahlon, Lana Popham and Kelly Greene on the sidelines.
On the Green side, leader Emily Lowan—who does not currently hold a seat—announced she will contest the riding of Saanich North and the Islands after incumbent Rob Botterell declared his retirement.
With candidate filings due by 3 October and the campaign now in full swing, the province faces a stark choice: a potential return to NDP leadership bolstered by an aggressive cross‑border recruitment effort, or a fragmented opposition landscape where CentreBC hopes to act as a king‑maker in a possible minority parliament. The coming weeks will test whether the new alignments can translate into seats, or whether familiar patterns of allegiance will reassert themselves as voters head to the polls.