Almost 200 pages of research on the B.C. Conservative Party, which sources within BC United confirm were compiled by their party before it dropped out of the British Columbia election campaign to support its former rival, have come back to haunt the new alliance.
The New Democrats are using the leaked documents to depict B.C. Conservative candidates as supporters of what they call 鈥渃rackpot鈥� conspiracy theories, including that Donald Trump won the 2020 U.S. presidential election and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol involved 鈥渁ntifa鈥� in disguise.
Two BC United members, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Saturday the documents were the result of research compiled by the party before the election campaign, but denied being sources of the leak.
They said the research was handed over to the B.C. Conservatives as part of last month鈥檚 deal to suspend United鈥檚 campaign in hopes of avoiding a centre-right vote split.
One of the members suggested the Conservatives themselves could be the source of the leak in an attempt to 鈥渞ip off the Band-Aid,鈥� and one of the sources said up to eight people within BC United had access to the research.
The release of the leaked research triggered an exchange of pointed letters between the Conservative and New Democrat leaders, with the NDP鈥檚 David Eby demanding John Rustad drop seven of his Tory candidates before Saturday鈥檚 nomination deadline. Rustad countered by calling on Eby to support a potential conflict of interest investigation involving Ravi Kahlon, the province鈥檚 most recent housing minister.
When asked by a reporter about the leaked documents during a campaign stop Saturday, Rustad said he is confident about his party鈥檚 slate of candidates and the legislature is in need of 鈥渇resh people鈥� who are willing to 鈥渟tand up, say things and be themselves.鈥�
鈥淭here are some obviously that still believe (NDP Leader) David Eby鈥檚 approach is the right approach and want to do everything they can to support him,鈥� said Rustad.
鈥淏ut I can tell you this, here鈥檚 the thing I really have to chuckle about: David Eby, close to half of his cabinet has resigned and is not running. He obviously does not have the confidence in his own team to do a cabinet shuffle and put people in position. What does that say about David Eby鈥檚 leadership?鈥�
Eby鈥檚 letter to Rustad called on the B.C. Conservatives to drop seven candidates he said 鈥減ublicly endorsed anti-democratic conspiracy theories鈥� and made statements involving bigoted and sexist views.
The letter to Rustad named seven B.C. Conservative candidates: Chris Sankey, North Coast-Haida Gwaii John Koury, Cowichan Valley Bryan Tepper, Surrey-Panorama Harman Bhangu, Langley-Abbotsford Sharon Hartwell, Bulkley Valley-Stikine Sheldon Clare, Prince George-North Cariboo and Bryan Breguet, Vancouver-Langara.
鈥淚 believe that this election is crucially important around the values that British Columbians have: That climate change is real (and) we should deal with it, that everybody needs to feel welcome and valued, that we shouldn鈥檛 govern according to internet conspiracy theories,鈥� Eby said in an interview after sending the letter.
Rustad said Eby鈥檚 team, in turn, has done more harm to the province through improper management of the economy and public safety.
鈥淲e do not need a party, quite frankly, in this province under David Eby鈥檚 weak leadership that has created all of these sort of problems,鈥� Rustad said. 鈥淪o I鈥檇 be happy to match person-to-person any day of the week with David Eby.鈥�
Rustad鈥檚 letter to Eby urged the NDP Leader to investigate Kahlon, the Delta North NDP candidate, on whether a company owned by Kahlon鈥檚 brother applied for provincial permits while Kahlon was minister.
鈥淭ransparency and accountability are essential for maintaining public trust in our democratic institutions,鈥� the letter reads. 鈥淣ewly surfaced information about NDP Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon鈥檚 potential conflicts of interest is deeply troubling, and British Columbians deserve an investigation now to get to the bottom of this.鈥�
A message from the NDP campaign said Kahlon has disclosed his brother鈥檚 ownership of the company in question to the B.C. Conflict of Interest Commissioner 鈥渓ong ago,鈥� and the former housing minister 鈥渉as no stakes鈥� in his brother鈥檚 company.
The BC United documents on the Conservative candidates were first publicly released by radio host and former BC United MLA Jas Johal on Thursday.
Portions were then shared by NDP candidate Ravi Parmar on social media platform X on Friday, and distributed by the NDP communications team in a short document titled 鈥淏C Conservative MAGA conspiracies.鈥�
The accompanying NDP news release said: 鈥淩ustad鈥檚 candidates are openly endorsing crackpot MAGA conspiracies.鈥�
The file uploaded to document-sharing site Scribd by Johal is 199 pages long and cites hundreds of social media posts by B.C. Conservative candidates.
It also includes material about Rustad that has already been highlighted by the NDP, including a speech in May last year in which he said children should not be expected to 鈥渆at bugs.鈥�
Eby said at a Friday campaign appearance in Cumberland, B.C., that Rustad and his team were 鈥渇ocused on bizarre internet conspiracy theories 鈥� vaccines are a hoax, the COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax, kids are being forced to eat bugs.鈥�
鈥淭oday (you see) a significant number of B.C. Conservative candidates advancing American election conspiracies that the January 6 riot at the Capitol Building was, in fact, a hoax, that it was actors that were made up,鈥� he said.
Kahlon said in an interview Friday that he is calling on Rustad to drop the candidates named in the BC United document ahead of Saturday鈥檚 nomination deadline.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very troubling that candidates, (and) John Rustad himself, have been falling down this rabbit hole of conspiracy theories,鈥� he said.
Kahlon said he鈥檚 sure 鈥渆veryone鈥� has someone in their life who has fallen down those 鈥渞abbit holes鈥� online and 鈥渃ome out saying weird things,鈥� but people should ask themselves whether they want a premier who shares those views.
鈥淭hese are people who are making important health decisions, important decisions about our environment, making decisions about where housing will be built, if it will be built at all, and so we want people who haven鈥檛 fallen down this rabbit hole of conspiracy theories leading the province,鈥� said Kahlon.
He said the NDP was alerted to the various tweets after they were shared by Johal on social media.
The party previously highlighted comments by Rustad in June in which he said he regretted getting the 鈥渟o-called vaccine鈥� against COVID-19, and that vaccine mandates were 鈥渘ot so much鈥� about achieving herd immunity or stopping the spread of the disease as they were about 鈥渟haping opinion and control of the population.鈥�
Rustad said this week he regretted getting vaccinated because he developed heart problems after his second shot, and when he went for his third he wasn鈥檛 asked about it.
