Latest news with #OneBC
National Post
8 hours ago
- Politics
- National Post
After B.C. Conservative leader made claim of MLA blackmailers in his own party, NDP asked RCMP to investigate
Premier David Eby said earlier this week after learning of the blackmail allegations that Rustad needed to take the claims to police, and if he didn't, then the NDP would. 'It is a profound and serious allegation that also strikes at the core of this place behind me and the public's confidence in the fact that legislators and staff members need to be able to do their work for the people without interference,' Eby said during a news conference outside the legislature on Tuesday. Tim Thielmann is the chief of staff for the new One BC party formed by Brodie and Tara Armstrong, who is the third ex-Conservative MLA. He blamed Eby for the NDP calling in the police, saying it was 'extremely irresponsible.' 'By his own admission, he is relying upon John Rustad's claims of blackmail, and when John Rustad has been asked for evidence, he has been unable to provide a single shred,' said Thielmann. He called the accusations in Rustad's letter to the Conservative caucus 'desperate lies' that he 'invented' to attack people exposing what happened at the party's annual general meeting. He said the case could 'cross the threshold for public mischief.' Brodie made the same argument in her social media post. 'If Rustad asks for a police investigation knowing his allegations are false, he might himself be committing the crime of public mischief under section 140 of the Criminal Code,' she said. 'But if he doesn't, he will have exposed his own big lie. 'And as for David Eby, he should know better than to attempt to instigate a police investigation when he admits to having absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing.' Brodie was thrown out of the B.C. Conservatives over remarks about residential schools, prompting Armstrong and Kealy to quit the party in sympathy. Kealy, who is not a member of the new One BC party, said Thursday that he was 'completely fine' with the RCMP being called to investigate. 'I've got nothing to hide if they want to talk to me,' said Kealy. 'I have chosen to leave it to people that are in the position to properly investigate this thoroughly and to look into whether or not they're allegations being made falsely,' said Kealy. Armstrong said on social media on Wednesday that 'Rustad and Eby can throw around the accusations all they like but rest assured, the truth will always prevail.' Brodie has said Rustad and his team 'rigged' the Conservatives' March annual general meeting that endorsed his 'Team Rustad' slate of executive candidates, allegedly stacking the meeting with South Asian supporters paid 'to vote the way Mr. Rustad wanted.' Rustad's letter denied any wrongdoing at the meeting. — With additional reporting from Wolfgang Depner in Victoria Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.
CBC
12 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
NDP asks RCMP to investigate B.C. Conservative blackmail claims
Social Sharing The B.C. NDP is asking the RCMP to investigate allegations made by B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad that three MLAs who left the party have tried to blackmail their former colleagues. The allegations were revealed in an undated letter written by Rustad, leaked to media on Monday. "In the letter John Rustad says the word blackmail 14 times and alleges criminal activity," said NDP caucus chair Stephanie Higginson. That's why she sent a letter to the B.C. RCMP's top commander calling for an investigation. WATCH | John Rustad alleges blackmail: B.C. Conservative leader's letter alleges blackmail by ex-members 2 days ago Duration 10:04 In a letter leaked to media on Monday, B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad alleges that a group of legislators who left his party are threatening to release texts and messages to intimidate members of his caucus. It comes after two Conservative defectors formed the OneBC party. Tim Thielmann, the chief of staff for the OneBC leader, called the allegations a desperate attempt by Rustad to cling to power. Rustad alleged in his letter that the three MLAs and their staff threatened to release text messages and secret recordings, using that to blackmail some B.C. Conservative caucus staff into quitting and working for them. "They are attempting to blackmail individuals into taking jobs or contracts with them while simultaneously attempting to force them to do or say certain things in order to prevent blackmail materials from being leaked," Rustad wrote in the letter. In the letter, Rustad described the behaviour as "unethical, abusive, and potentially criminal." Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie was kicked out of the Conservative caucus in March for her statements about residential schools. Tara Armstrong of Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream and Jordan Kealy of Peace River North left the party shortly after in solidarity. All three have denied that they engaged in blackmail, pointing out that Rustad has not produced any evidence to support his claims. Higginson sent a letter to B.C. RCMP Commanding Officer Dwayne McDonald on Thursday asking the police force to investigate. "There is a significant public interest in determining the facts of this matter," the letter reads. "Blackmail is a serious crime. If any MLA or their legislative staff are engaged in it, British Columbians deserve to know, and any perpetrators should be prosecuted. British Columbians also deserve to know if Mr. Rustad, the Leader of the Official Opposition, is not in possession of evidence to support his accusations." RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Vanessa Munn said in a statement that the agency had received the letter. "The matter is under review and assessment," she said. Higginson's letter follows comments from Premier David Eby on Tuesday about the allegations. "Mr. Rustad needs to explain to the public what's happening," Eby said. "He needs to bring the information he has to the police. These are very serious allegations. And if he fails to bring them to the police, for whatever reason, then we will bring them to the police to make sure this is properly and thoroughly investigated." Since leaving the B.C. Conservative caucus in March, Brodie, Armstrong and Kealy have sat as Independents. Last week, Brodie and Armstrong announced their new political party, called One B.C. Kealy did not join the party. WATCH | 2 MLAs launch OneBC: 2 Independent MLAs launch new political party 7 days ago Duration 2:13 One MLA who was kicked out of the B.C. Conservative caucus and another who left in solidarity are forming a new political party. Katie DeRosa has more on what the party stands for and what it means for the official opposition. Brodie's chief of staff, Tim Thielmann, called the NDP's letter to the RCMP a "perversion of our justice system." "By David Eby's own admission, that he doesn't have any evidence upon which to initiate this police investigation," Thielmann said. "When John Rustad has been asked to produce evidence of his allegation, he has been unable to do so." Kealy said in a statement the allegations are false. "This is what a desperate man looks like. John Rustad is losing control, so he lashes out. He lies. He manipulates. He throws wild accusations into the wind hoping they'll stick. "Let the RCMP look into it. I have absolutely nothing to hide." Hamish Telford, a political scientist from the University of the Fraser Valley, said the NDP is trying to capitalize on dissension within the Conservative ranks. "I think the NDP is stirring the pot," Telford said. Higginson denies that her letter to the RCMP was politically motivated. "The easiest thing for me as the caucus chair, and perhaps even for the NDP, to do right now is to sit back and watch this internal mudslinging that's happening," she said. "But these are very serious allegations."
Global News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
BC Conservative leader accuses breakaway MLAs of blackmail
British Columbia Conservative Leader John Rustad is accusing a group of legislators who split from the party of blackmailing its members and staff in a bid to take over and divide the Opposition. Rustad has confirmed the authenticity of a letter obtained by The Canadian Press in which he tells the Conservative caucus that their former colleagues and staff are threatening to release 'blackmail materials,' including secret phone recordings and text messages. Rustad's letter says the targets are being blackmailed to get them to take jobs or contracts with the former Conservatives, or to 'do or say certain things' if they want to prevent the materials being leaked. 2:11 Ousted Conservative MLA starts new B.C. political party The letter says one unnamed staffer with the former Conservatives called 'multiple individuals in order to explicitly blackmail them,' and Rustad says in an interview that they're still deciding whether to contact the RCMP. Story continues below advertisement Rustad doesn't name the former Conservatives, but Dallas Brodie, who was ejected from the caucus in January, says the letter consists of 'wild lies' and 'baseless, false, and defamatory' accusations about her new OneBC party. 2:37 MLA booted from B.C. Conservatives over residential school comments, 2 more quit OneBC member Tara Armstrong says she won't comment beyond the statement that Brodie issued, while former Conservative Jordan Kealy, who didn't join OneBC, says he has no involvement in the alleged blackmail. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Brodie and Armstrong launched OneBC last week. Brodie's departure from the BC Conservative caucus came over her controversial remarks about residential schools, prompting Kealy and Armstrong to quit the party in sympathy.
Vancouver Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
John Rustad accuses former B.C. Conservative MLAs of blackmail
Conservative Leader John Rustad is accusing a group of B.C. legislators who split from the party of blackmailing its members and staff in a bid to take over and divide the Opposition. Rustad has confirmed the authenticity of a letter obtained by The Canadian Press in which he tells the Conservative caucus that their former colleagues and staff are threatening to release 'blackmail materials,' including secret phone recordings and text messages. Rustad's letter says the targets are being blackmailed to get them to take jobs or contracts with the former Conservatives, or to 'do or say certain things' if they want to prevent the materials being leaked. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The letter says one unnamed staffer with the former Conservatives called 'multiple individuals in order to explicitly blackmail them,' and Rustad said they're still deciding whether to contact the RCMP. Rustad doesn't name the former Conservatives, but Dallas Brodie, who was ejected from the caucus in January, says the letter consists of 'wild lies' and 'baseless, false, and defamatory' accusations about her new OneBC party . OneBC member Tara Armstrong says she won't comment beyond the statement that Brodie issued, while former Conservative Jordan Kealy, who didn't join OneBC, says he has no involvement in any blackmail. Brodie and Armstrong launched OneBC last week. Brodie's departure from the B.C. Conservative caucus came over her controversial remarks about residential schools, prompting Kealy and Armstrong to quit the party in sympathy.
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
B.C. Opposition Leader John Rustad accuses former Conservative MLAs of blackmail
VICTORIA - British Columbia Conservative Leader John Rustad is accusing a group of legislators who split from the party of blackmailing its members and staff in a bid to take over and divide the Opposition. Rustad has confirmed the authenticity of a letter obtained by The Canadian Press in which he tells the Conservative caucus that their former colleagues and staff are threatening to release 'blackmail materials,' including secret phone recordings and text messages. Rustad's letter says the targets are being blackmailed to get them to take jobs or contracts with the former Conservatives, or to 'do or say certain things' if they want to prevent the materials being leaked. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The letter says one unnamed staffer with the former Conservatives called 'multiple individuals in order to explicitly blackmail them,' and Rustad says in an interview that they're still deciding whether to contact the RCMP. Rustad doesn't name the former Conservatives, but Dallas Brodie, who was ejected from the caucus in January, says the letter consists of 'wild lies' and 'baseless, false, and defamatory' accusations about her new One BC party. One BC member Tara Armstrong says she won't comment beyond the statement that Brodie issued, while former Conservative Jordan Kealy, who didn't join One BC, says he has no involvement in the alleged blackmail. Brodie and Armstrong launched One BC last week. Brodie's departure from the B.C. Conservative caucus came over her controversial remarks about residential schools, prompting Kealy and Armstrong to quit the party in sympathy. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2025.
