By Adam Berls

bc politics

‘Not in the cards’: Rustad says on potential Conservative-BC United merger

May 17, 2024 | 1:36 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — After a week full of discussion surrounding a potential merger between the Conservative Party of BC and BC United, one party leader says that a merger is just “not in the cards.”

John Rustad, leader of the Conservative Party of BC, says that a merger between his party and BC United is not going to happen right now, despite talks of a potential merger ramping up this past week.

Recent polling has the Conservatives in second place in 34% behind the governing NDP, currently sitting at 40%. BC United is in a distant third place at 13%, indicating that BC may be experiencing a political shift, compared to even three months ago.

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May 2024 Provincial Polling Numbers. Source: Abacus Data

Despite BC United’s polling numbers, Prince George Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris says that the party is doing well.

“Right now, we see the BC Conservatives living by the polls, week by week. I think they will end up being sorely disappointed in that because our own internal work that we do shows us that we’re doing quite well in all the town halls and all the communities that we’re in.” – Mike Morris, MLA, Prince George-Mackenzie (BC United)

John Rustad says that while a merger is not in the cards, widening his party’s appeal is very much on the table. Rustad told CKPG News that the Conservative Party of BC is “always open to having conversations about how we can make the tent bigger, how we could potentially have more people come in and support the movement that we are building.”

With the election needing to be held on or before October 19, 2024, the only poll that will matter, is the one on election day.

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X: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com