Rustad made the comments in a statement that also confirms he won't be seeking re-election in the Oct. 24 provincial election, after more than two decades in B.C. politics.

He says he's "grateful" to have represented the riding of Nechako Lakes and its equivalent since 2005, calling it "some of the most rewarding times" of his life.

Rustad, who took the Conservatives from political obscurity to the brink of power in 2024 before being ousted last December, endorsed interim Leader Lorne Doerkson, calling him "a quality individual," while criticizing NDP Leader David Eby for calling the election two years early.

He says Eby did not call this election to defend what his government has done, instead calling it "to save his job."

But Rustad says that has only united the Conservative movement after a period of extreme turmoil.

There was an exodus of members from the Conservative caucus under former party leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay but her resignation on the weekend and the election call prompted most members to return.

Rustad asked his fellow Conservatives to "build a British Columbia worthy of the people who live here, and the children who will inherit it."

He was a cabinet minister with the former B.C. Liberal government but was later kicked out of the opposition caucus in 2022 for reposting information on social media criticizing climate change science.

He joined the Conservatives the next year, starting the party's meteoric rise into the provincial Opposition in the 2024 provincial election, when the party won 44 seats, after having won none and getting less than two per cent of the vote in 2020.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2026.