Three more B.C. Conservatives removed from caucus, including former leaders

B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay says Trevor Halford, Claire Rattée and former leader John Rustad will no longer be members of the Conservative Party of B.C. caucus, effective immediately.

In a statement, Findlay said the party must remain focused on British Columbians and preparing for a possible provincial election.

She said the party has a fully funded campaign and is working to build its team of candidates, adding that there is “no room for internal power struggles or vanity projects.”

The three MLAs are now listed as no longer affiliated with the Conservative Party, according to the legislature clerk’s office. According to a report by The Canadian Press, the office was notified Friday that Rustad, the MLA for Nechako Lakes, Halford, the MLA for Surrey-White Rock, and Rattée, the MLA for Skeena, were no longer part of the Conservative caucus.

It remains unclear whether the three left voluntarily or were removed.

Rattée issued a statement Friday accusing Findlay of “attempting to oust members of her own caucus” and said the leader “does not have the authority” to do so.

“I was elected as a B.C. Conservative MLA and that’s not going to change. I’m not going anywhere. I will continue to fight for the people of Skeena and British Columbia,” Rattée said.

The latest departures come after a series of Conservative MLAs left the party in recent weeks, with several citing concerns about Findlay’s leadership.