Rustad says he’s open to bringing back Armstrong and Kealy, who called Conservative MLAs “venomous” and a “woke mob”
John Rustad recently indicated that he is open to welcoming back Jordan Kealy and Tara Armstrong.
On a podcast posted Sunday, Rustad said: “It’s unfortunate that the three individuals decided to leave our caucus. They made that decision on their own. We have said that Dallas Brodie would not be welcomed back in, but we haven’t said anything about the other two.”
Armstrong and Kealy left the BC Conservative caucus to defend Dallas Brodie’s residential school denialism. Since then they have continued to fight with Rustad over Indigenous rights – accusing him of ‘submitting’ to Indigenous leaders they call “reconciliation Industry lobbyists” while holding up people who deny the impacts of residential schools as “truth-tellers.”
Armstrong has spent much of her time attacking trans people – something she complains she wasn’t allowed to do while in BC Conservative caucus.
They have also launched aggressive personal attacks on members of Rustad’s caucus.
After Armstrong’s staff attacked Rustad’s House Leader Á’a:líya Warbus as “a reconciliation industry shill and utterly classless,” Armstrong endorsed that comment and replied, “PTSD of caucus meetings with her.”
Kealy attacked Penticton MLA Amelia Boultbee: “showing your true venomous LEFTWING colors, Amelia, and it shows how childish of a MLA you are.”
When he was defending Brodie’s residential school denialism, Kealy attacked Rustad himself as a liar and “deceitful.” Armstrong said he was “capitulating to the liberal woke mob within his caucus.”
BC NDP MLA Amna Shah has posted a clip of Rustad’s recent comments here.