British Columbia Conservative Party Leader John Rustad was at a low point in his life two years ago, both personally and politically.

He was searching for a political home after being booted from the former B.C. Liberal Party caucus.

Rustad, 61, was also grieving back-to-back-to-back family losses and his own health had taken a downturn.

sa国际传媒淭wenty-twenty-two was a very difficult year for my family,sa国际传媒� said Rustad. sa国际传媒淢y father passed away in January. My father-in-law passed in February. I had shingles in April and then my mother passed in July.sa国际传媒�

Then came August 2022 when Rustad was banished from the B.C. Liberal caucus, now BC United, for his social media support of an outspoken climate change critic.

Times have changed since then.

Rustad said hesa国际传媒檚 healthy, has had more time to get over the loss of loved ones, and today hesa国际传媒檚 leading the once marginal B.C. Conservative Party into an election campaign as a serious challenger to the two-term New Democrats led by David Eby.

In the 2020 election, the B.C. Conservatives received less than two per cent of the popular vote and didnsa国际传媒檛 win a seat, but are now considered contenders against the NDP.

Rustad said he underwent a period of deep introspection while sitting in the B.C. legislature as an Independent, before he was acclaimed as Leader of the B.C. Conservative Party in March 2023.

sa国际传媒淚 explored a number of options in the fall of 2022 after being kicked out, and what it came down to was the Conservatives were the vehicle that made the most sense,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚 explored everything from retiring to switching to different levels of politics. I even had conversations with the old Social Credit Party, with the people who were in control of that party.sa国际传媒�

Despite being in the political wilderness for decades, the opportunity to undertake a revival for the B.C. Conservative Party and give voters a new voice on the centre-right proved to make the most sense, Rustad said.

sa国际传媒淚 had no confidence that Kevin Falcon and the B.C. Liberals, now of course BC United Party, could win the next election,sa国际传媒� he said.

sa国际传媒淭hat got me thinking if the B.C. Liberals cansa国际传媒檛 do it and the vote is divided, then this problem could go all the way to 2028 and if we cansa国际传媒檛 win then it would be 2032 before we could get rid of the socialist hordes out of Victoria,sa国际传媒� he said, referencing a slogan used by Social Credit leader WAC Bennett, who was provincial premier from 1952 to 1972.

Rustad, whose family has deep roots in B.C.sa国际传媒檚 forest industry that go back generations, comes across more as a bookworm than a lumberjack.

Born and raised in Prince George, B.C., Rustad said hesa国际传媒檚 been involved in the forest industry for much of his life.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檝e done everything in forestry from working in a mill to tree planting to timber supply analysis to forest development plans and everything in between,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚 ran my own company from 1995 and I shut it down in 2002 when I started heading toward politics.sa国际传媒�

Elected in 2005, Rustadsa国际传媒檚 Nechako Lakes riding in central B.C. includes the forest-industry dependent communities of Burns Lake, Vanderhoof, Houston and Fort St. James.

sa国际传媒淧olitics was never actually an ambition of mine,sa国际传媒� Rustad said. sa国际传媒淚t was never a goal. But things were going so badly in the 1990s that by the year 2000, I actually talked about moving to Calgary with my wife because of the disastrous environment we had in B.C.sa国际传媒�

He said he decided to stay, but sa国际传媒渢hat left me with two choices, either live with it or get involved and try to change it. I discovered I actually enjoy politics, which was quite surprising to me.sa国际传媒�

Rustad and his wife, Kim, live at Cluculz Lake, a small community 40 kilometres west of Prince George.

The couple has no children, with Rustad publicly acknowledging his wifesa国际传媒檚 earlier diagnosis of cervical cancer.

Rustad was a keynote speaker at a Reclaiming Canada conference in Victoria in May 2023, held sa国际传媒渋n recognition of the 2022 Freedom Convoy,sa国际传媒� which conducted a series of protests and blockades against Canadasa国际传媒檚 COVID-19 restrictions.

In video of his speech posted online, he told the group he walked through a trucker protest and freedom rally in Vancouver.

sa国际传媒淭he party that I was part of at the time, which was the B.C. Liberal Party, said, sa国际传媒楧onsa国际传媒檛 go anywhere near it. We cansa国际传媒檛 talk about it, we cansa国际传媒檛 support it. All it will do is cost us votes in the Lower Mainland.sa国际传媒� I looked at them and I thought thatsa国际传媒檚 nuts.sa国际传媒�

He said the event reminded him of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

sa国际传媒淧eople were waving flags, they were proud of the country that they belong to, they were singing O Canada at the top of their lungs,sa国际传媒� he said as his voice wavered with emotion.

sa国际传媒淕ood God, that to me is Canada, that is the real power of what we want to see in this province and this country,sa国际传媒� he said to applause.

Prof. David Black, a political communications specialist at Greater Victoriasa国际传媒檚 Royal Roads University, said Rustad has played the lead role in the biggest political story of the year in B.C., the rise of the Conservatives and the demise of BC United.

Falcon surprisingly folded BC Unitedsa国际传媒檚 election campaign last month, urging voters to support Rustadsa国际传媒檚 Conservatives to prevent a centre-right vote split and a likely NDP re-election.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 not often that we can say that climate skepticism was the making of a politiciansa国际传媒檚 rise, as itsa国际传媒檚 usually career destroying,sa国际传媒� said Black.

But the opposite occurred, and Rustad, a Conservative from B.C.sa国际传媒檚 north with experience in the resource economy and Indigenous relations faces Eby, a socially concerned left-wing lawyer from Vancouver, said Black.

sa国际传媒淚n this sense, both Eby and Rustad are out of central casting as we think about B.C. politicians,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭hey personify and give voice to the political culture of the regions and political subcultures out of which they come.sa国际传媒�

Andrew Weaver, a world-renowned climate scientist and former B.C. Green Party leader, said he spoke with Rustad in the lead-up to the campaign and discovered they have more in common that he previously thought.

sa国际传媒淛ohn Rustadsa国际传媒檚 views on climate are clearly not the same as mine,sa国际传媒� said Weaver. sa国际传媒淏ut the gaps there are not as great as some people may think.sa国际传媒�

Rustad is a person who listens to views and gathers information before making decisions, said Weaver.

sa国际传媒淐limate change is real,sa国际传媒� Rustad said. sa国际传媒淢an is having an impact on the climate. I just look at it and think taxing people into poverty cansa国际传媒檛 change the weather.sa国际传媒�

He said he will continue to have talks with Weaver on issues of climate and resources.

Rustad said he expects to face NDP attacks during the campaign on his partysa国际传媒檚 plans to remove ideology from the classroom, scrap the carbon tax, support pipeline construction, oppose vaccine mandates and reallocate post-secondary education funding to promote training in medicine, engineering and skilled trades.

Eby recently said reproductive freedom issues will likely be raised during B.C.sa国际传媒檚 election campaign, suggesting Rustadsa国际传媒檚 Conservatives may not support current womensa国际传媒檚 access policies and programs.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 fairly safe to say that he is at best ambivalent about reproductive freedom and at worst hostile to it sa国际传媒� that womensa国际传媒檚 access to abortion, womensa国际传媒檚 access to free birth control, is on the ballot this election, just like it is in the United States,sa国际传媒� said Eby.

Rustad said previously his party will not reopen the abortion debate, noting the federal government regulates the issue.

sa国际传媒淚 have no problem just standing for what I believe is right,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚 have no problem just saying it like it is. You sleep well at night when you know you are standing for what you believe in.sa国际传媒�