Conservative Party of B.C.'s leader John Rustad outlines his priorities for his riding and northern B.C. following his re-election and swearing-in as Nechako Lakes MLA for a sixth consecutive term on Nov. 12.

Below is an edited excerpt from Rustad's first interview with Omineca Express following his swearing-in. The questions are highlighted in bold, followed by Rustad's responses:

Q: Up in northern B.C., we face a lot of complex problems - healthcare, industry, connectivity- and the people who voted in this election are expecting real change. There is a heightened expectation from voters compared to previous elections. How do you plan to manage and address these expectations?

Rustad: Part of this will come from our work in the legislature, especially in putting pressure on the government—particularly David Eby. He claims to have learned from the election, but I haven’t seen evidence of that yet. He still doesn’t seem to understand the importance of rural B.C., especially when it comes to our resource sector, the jobs we need to create, and issues like connectivity. 

I saw recently that another province announced a deal with Starlink, the satellite internet service created by Elon Musk's company, to provide reliable internet connectivity across their region to provide better connectivity. [Rustad is talking about Ontario’s nearly $4-billion investment announced on Nov. 14 to provide high-speed internet access to 15,000 eligible homes and businesses in rural, remote, and northern communities by June 2025.] This is something we should explore for B.C. as well, especially for rural and remote areas that lack high-speed internet.

At the core of the challenges we face, whether in healthcare or local issues, is our economy—specifically our resource economy. When people lose jobs and move away, they take other professionals with them: doctors, nurses, teachers, and other vital community members. If we don’t have jobs in the area, people will leave. We need to get our economy moving again and get our forestry sector back on track. Under the current government, we’ve lost two-thirds of our forestry sector in the last few years, and that needs to be reversed.


Q: With the entire northern belt of B.C., barring North Coast-Haida Gwaii, now represented by Conservative MLAs, how do you plan to advocate for the region’s economic and industrial development, given its resource-rich potential?

Rustad: Economic development is something we will certainly be advocating for. In fact, we’ll be moving forward with legislation in the coming weeks and months that will clearly outline how we can support sectors like forestry and other natural resource industries in British Columbia.

We will do everything we can to hold the government to account, while also introducing legislation and ideas that will be beneficial for communities, individuals, and companies operating throughout Northern B.C.

Q: How do you plan to maintain accessibility to your constituents, especially considering your additional responsibilities as the leader of the opposition?

Rustad: As for maintaining accessibility to my constituents, despite my responsibilities as the leader of the opposition, my plan is to spend at least one or two days each month in different communities in the riding. For example, I was just in ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Lake for the Remembrance Day ceremony (Nov. 11), and I spoke with the mayor about doing a tour in the coming months to meet with mayors and councils, and address local issues.

I was also in Vanderhoof last week discussing the challenges surrounding the closure of sawmills there. While there will always be specific issues that require my attention, I aim to create broader opportunities for engagement as well.

My constituency assistants will also be out in different communities, making sure that people have access to the services they need and have opportunities to engage with us.