B.C. Premier David Eby says if Opposition Leader John Rustad doesn’t bring allegations of blackmail he raised internally with his party to the police, the government will.
Eby made the comments Tuesday, a day after the Canadian Press obtained a leaked letter Rustad wrote to the Conservative caucus, making the allegations against a group of MLAs who split from the party.
“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 released,” the letter states.
The “blackmail materials” allegedly include secret phone recordings and text messages, according to the letter.
“It is a serious allegation that also strikes at the core of this place behind me and the public’s confidence that legislators and staff members need to be able to do their work for the people without interference,” Eby said.
“Mr. Rustad needs to explain to the public what is happening; he needs to bring the information he has to the police … and if he fails to bring them to the police, for whatever reason, then we will.”
The letter does not name the former Conservatives, but drew a quick response from Dallas Brodie, who was kicked out of the party in January, and who said the letter consists of “wild lies” and “baseless, false, and defamatory” accusations about her new OneBC party.
On Tuesday, Brodie’s chief of staff, Tim Thielmann, dismissed the allegations.
“There’s no evidence because he’s manufactured these wild allegations, which are false and defamatory, to save himself, and he’s hoping, I think, to save the Conservatives, and his party, which are ready to leave,” Thielmann said.
University of British Columbia political scientist Stewart Prest said the blowup could be a reputational setback for the BC Conservatives, after an effective spring session pressing the NDP on controversial policies like such as recent legislation to fast-track projects.
“They seem to be determined to keep the spotlight on themselves and make things as easy as possible for the NDP with this continued infighting,” Prest said.
“The focus is always on being the leader of the right as opposed to the leader of the province, and that can signal a lack of fitness to govern in the long term, and really leaves a huge lane open for the NDP to demonstrate they are the serious party, the party of grown-ups.”
Conservative strategist Allie Blades with Framepoint Public Affairs said the incident risks derailing the party’s focus on major policy issues that could help them down the road at the ballot box.
“I can only imagine that on the inside they are a little frustrated on the Conservative caucus side because they want to be talking about the issues that really matter … rather, the oxygen is being taken up by this political theatre of the dramatics of blackmail and corruption in politics,” she said.
“Ideally, what the conservatives could do is position themselves in a way that gets back to business as quickly as tomorrow.”
OneBC, meanwhile, fired another salvo Tuesday, doubling down on allegations of interference in an election for the party executive at the BC Conservative annual general meeting in early March.
OneBC has released a letter signed by 50 riding association directors calling for an external audit of the vote.
With files from the Canadian Press