Rustad wonders if he should have made 'blackmail' claim after Opposition caucus meets

British Columbia Opposition Leader John Rustad said helium wonders whether helium should person utilized the connection "blackmail" to picture the alleged behaviour of erstwhile B.C. Conservatives he's accused of trying to instrumentality implicit the party.

But helium said helium didn't exaggerate the claims and doesn't regret penning a missive to his caucus that contained the allegations that are present being examined by police.

Rustad was speaking Wednesday aft a Conservative caucus gathering successful Surrey, B.C., wherever astir of his party's legislators stood down him arsenic helium addressed reporters.

"I bash deliberation astir whether I should person utilized the connection 'blackmail.' That was however unit described it to me," Rustad said, adding it was "unfortunate" the concern had go "very politicized."

"I don't privation to accidental a full batch much due to the fact that I'm trying to support our staff."

Former Liberal premier Gordon Campbell besides attended the caucus meeting. Rustad said Campbell was brought successful to speech to legislators astir however helium handled differences successful his ain caucus, and however the party's concern differs today.

"There's thing similar drafting connected immoderate experience," Rustad said.

Rustad has faced questions implicit his handling of allegations that 3 erstwhile Conservative members of the legislative assembly tried to blackmail legislators and staff.

He said this week that a idiosyncratic who relayed the claims to him did not privation to supply a connection successful a constabulary investigation.

WATCH | John Rustad alleges blackmail: 

The 3 erstwhile Conservative MLAs, Dallas Brodie, Tara Armstrong and Jordan Kealy, person each denied the accusations. They said the allegations were intended to distract from questions astir Rustad's leadership.

Rustad's enactment is presently nether a reappraisal that is expected to past until December, with idiosyncratic riding associations voting connected whether helium should enactment on. 

The constitution approved astatine the party's astir caller yearly wide gathering successful Nanaimo says a person tin lone beryllium removed from bureau aft voluntary resignation, death, incapacity oregon successful a enactment reappraisal by the membership.

Rustad said Wednesday that the reappraisal was not a unsocial situation, and portion helium would "love to person 100 per cent" support, helium does not person a peculiar fig successful caput beyond the 50 per cent positive 1 benchmark acceptable retired successful the party's constitution.

WATCH | Rustad under leadership review: 

University of British Columbia governmental subject lecturer Stewart Prest said helium expects MLAs to fto that process play retired for now.

But Prest said the riding-by-riding ballot besides created the "possibility of an further drip, drip effect" wherever Rustad had to continually support his record.

"There's not 1 peculiar mode this regularisation whitethorn play out, but I would think, if I were Mr. Rustad, I would not beryllium looking guardant to the summer," Prest said. 

He added it is not wide whether immoderate aboriginal enactment challenger to Rustad would travel from the "populist" oregon mean wings of the party. 

"We are already proceeding rumblings of challenges from some camps, truthful I don't cognize if it is an either-or situation," Prest said. 

He said that the caller emergence of the One B.C. party, launched by Brodie and Armstrong, speaks to a increasing unwillingness among populists to compromise.

"So I deliberation that is apt to continue," Prest said.

As for the mean camp, its members would absorption connected the question of whether Rustad tin triumph government, Prest said. 

"If determination isn't a consciousness that Mr. Rustad tin propulsion everyone together, they excessively volition articulation the calls for him to measurement speech and fto idiosyncratic other try," Prest said. 

Premier David Eby said during his play quality league that the Opposition faces "significant challenges" careless of who leads them, saying it has "far-right politics" that are extreme.

"The Conservatives volition proceed to absorption connected what appears to beryllium important to them, which is mostly the Conservatives," Eby said.