Longtime Bc Liberal Mla Removed From Caucus After Continued Denial On Climate Change

In posts on both Facebook and Twitter, Rustad, the MLA for the Nechako Lakes riding west of Prince George, shared a graphic and a post arguing that people have been “fooled” by the science of climate change and should they are happy that CO2 is being emitted into the atmosphere. MLA John Rustad has been removed from the BC Liberal caucus after sharing tweets denying climate change. (Twitter) In response, Kevin Falcon, who was elected party leader in February, distanced himself from Rustad’s stance, tweeting, “#ClimateChange is one of the most critical threats facing our future” and that Rustad “does not he speaks on behalf of the parliamentary group on this issue.” Let me be clear, that the —@KevinFalcon That tweet was released on Wednesday and on Thursday, Falcon issued the following statement: “Politics is a team sport and British Columbians look to their elected officials to work together on the important issues facing our province. “Following a pattern of behavior that was not supportive of our group and our principles of mutual respect and trust, I have removed MLA John Rustad from the BC Liberal Caucus effective immediately.” Falcon told the CBC that he tried to contact Rustad after the tweet in question, but was unable to find him as of Thursday. When they talked, she told him he needed to be a “team player.” “I couldn’t get the satisfaction that he is ready to be a team player, so I dismissed him from the team.” Rustad could not be reached for comment. Falcon says Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone will become interim forestry critic.

History of inflammatory, misleading social media posts

It’s not the first time Rustad’s stance on climate change – and his use of social media – has come under fire. In April 2021, he took issue with the use of the word “pollution” to describe C02 during the NDP provincial government’s speech from the throne. “Carbon dioxide is an essential component of life on this planet. It’s not pollution, and this kind of misinformation out there is just ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to do this. It doesn’t serve anybody well,” Rustad said. When asked directly by the CBC if he believes climate change is real and human-caused, Rustad declined to answer. In January 2021, he faced backlash over a Facebook post questioning the decision to release the COVID-19 vaccine to Indigenous members of his riding on priority. “Who makes the decision to continue vaccinating an 18-year-old in the same community while not vaccinating a 90-year-old with significant health challenges?” he wrote, referring to youths in the Nak’azdli community near Fort St. James, BC And in 2019, he made a post spreading the false claim that government scientists had euthanized 24 endangered caribou. When asked why he made the post without verifying whether it was true, Rustad said, “If there are mistakes and things that were done, I certainly don’t want to be part of what will be considered fake news,” adding, “At the same time, when information like that comes out, it’s information worth sharing.” When Falcon became leader of the BC Liberals in May 2022, he says he spoke to members about working together. “John has been around a long time. He knows better,” Falcon said. “He knows exactly what he did and knows exactly what the potential consequences could be.” Rustad was first elected to office in 2005 as the representative for the riding of Prince George-Omineca, which was later dissolved and replaced by what is now Nechako Lakes. Under then-Prime Minister Christy Clark, he served as Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister and, later, as Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Minister. Prior to his removal from the caucus, Rustad served as forestry critic for the BC Liberals. Falcon said anyone who has fundamental doubts about the reality of climate change will not be welcome in the BC Liberal caucus going forward.
“It’s not going to work.”

title: “Longtime Bc Liberal Mla Removed From Caucus After Continued Denial On Climate Change Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-27” author: “Paul Ramos”

In posts on both Facebook and Twitter, Rustad, the MLA for the Nechako Lakes riding west of Prince George, shared a graphic and a post arguing that people have been “fooled” by the science of climate change and should they are happy that CO2 is being emitted into the atmosphere. MLA John Rustad has been removed from the BC Liberal caucus after sharing tweets denying climate change. (Twitter) In response, Kevin Falcon, who was elected party leader in February, distanced himself from Rustad’s stance, tweeting, “#ClimateChange is one of the most critical threats facing our future” and that Rustad “does not he speaks on behalf of the parliamentary group on this issue.” Let me be clear, that the —@KevinFalcon That tweet was released on Wednesday and on Thursday, Falcon issued the following statement: “Politics is a team sport and British Columbians look to their elected officials to work together on the important issues facing our province. “Following a pattern of behavior that was not supportive of our group and our principles of mutual respect and trust, I have removed MLA John Rustad from the BC Liberal Caucus effective immediately.” Falcon told the CBC that he tried to contact Rustad after the tweet in question, but was unable to find him as of Thursday. When they talked, she told him he needed to be a “team player.” “I couldn’t get the satisfaction that he is ready to be a team player, so I dismissed him from the team.” Rustad could not be reached for comment. Falcon says Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone will become interim forestry critic.

History of inflammatory, misleading social media posts

It’s not the first time Rustad’s stance on climate change – and his use of social media – has come under fire. In April 2021, he took issue with the use of the word “pollution” to describe C02 during the NDP provincial government’s speech from the throne. “Carbon dioxide is an essential component of life on this planet. It’s not pollution, and this kind of misinformation out there is just ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to do this. It doesn’t serve anybody well,” Rustad said. When asked directly by the CBC if he believes climate change is real and human-caused, Rustad declined to answer. In January 2021, he faced backlash over a Facebook post questioning the decision to release the COVID-19 vaccine to Indigenous members of his riding on priority. “Who makes the decision to continue vaccinating an 18-year-old in the same community while not vaccinating a 90-year-old with significant health challenges?” he wrote, referring to youths in the Nak’azdli community near Fort St. James, BC And in 2019, he made a post spreading the false claim that government scientists had euthanized 24 endangered caribou. When asked why he made the post without verifying whether it was true, Rustad said, “If there are mistakes and things that were done, I certainly don’t want to be part of what will be considered fake news,” adding, “At the same time, when information like that comes out, it’s information worth sharing.” When Falcon became leader of the BC Liberals in May 2022, he says he spoke to members about working together. “John has been around a long time. He knows better,” Falcon said. “He knows exactly what he did and knows exactly what the potential consequences could be.” Rustad was first elected to office in 2005 as the representative for the riding of Prince George-Omineca, which was later dissolved and replaced by what is now Nechako Lakes. Under then-Prime Minister Christy Clark, he served as Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister and, later, as Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Minister. Prior to his removal from the caucus, Rustad served as forestry critic for the BC Liberals. Falcon said anyone who has fundamental doubts about the reality of climate change will not be welcome in the BC Liberal caucus going forward.
“It’s not going to work.”

title: “Longtime Bc Liberal Mla Removed From Caucus After Continued Denial On Climate Change Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-22” author: “David Burnham”

In posts on both Facebook and Twitter, Rustad, the MLA for the Nechako Lakes riding west of Prince George, shared a graphic and a post arguing that people have been “fooled” by the science of climate change and should they are happy that CO2 is being emitted into the atmosphere. MLA John Rustad has been removed from the BC Liberal caucus after sharing tweets denying climate change. (Twitter) In response, Kevin Falcon, who was elected party leader in February, distanced himself from Rustad’s stance, tweeting, “#ClimateChange is one of the most critical threats facing our future” and that Rustad “does not he speaks on behalf of the parliamentary group on this issue.” Let me be clear, that the —@KevinFalcon That tweet was released on Wednesday and on Thursday, Falcon issued the following statement: “Politics is a team sport and British Columbians look to their elected officials to work together on the important issues facing our province. “Following a pattern of behavior that was not supportive of our group and our principles of mutual respect and trust, I have removed MLA John Rustad from the BC Liberal Caucus effective immediately.” Falcon told the CBC that he tried to contact Rustad after the tweet in question, but was unable to find him as of Thursday. When they talked, she told him he needed to be a “team player.” “I couldn’t get the satisfaction that he is ready to be a team player, so I dismissed him from the team.” Rustad could not be reached for comment. Falcon says Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone will become interim forestry critic.

History of inflammatory, misleading social media posts

It’s not the first time Rustad’s stance on climate change – and his use of social media – has come under fire. In April 2021, he took issue with the use of the word “pollution” to describe C02 during the NDP provincial government’s speech from the throne. “Carbon dioxide is an essential component of life on this planet. It’s not pollution, and this kind of misinformation out there is just ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to do this. It doesn’t serve anybody well,” Rustad said. When asked directly by the CBC if he believes climate change is real and human-caused, Rustad declined to answer. In January 2021, he faced backlash over a Facebook post questioning the decision to release the COVID-19 vaccine to Indigenous members of his riding on priority. “Who makes the decision to continue vaccinating an 18-year-old in the same community while not vaccinating a 90-year-old with significant health challenges?” he wrote, referring to youths in the Nak’azdli community near Fort St. James, BC And in 2019, he made a post spreading the false claim that government scientists had euthanized 24 endangered caribou. When asked why he made the post without verifying whether it was true, Rustad said, “If there are mistakes and things that were done, I certainly don’t want to be part of what will be considered fake news,” adding, “At the same time, when information like that comes out, it’s information worth sharing.” When Falcon became leader of the BC Liberals in May 2022, he says he spoke to members about working together. “John has been around a long time. He knows better,” Falcon said. “He knows exactly what he did and knows exactly what the potential consequences could be.” Rustad was first elected to office in 2005 as the representative for the riding of Prince George-Omineca, which was later dissolved and replaced by what is now Nechako Lakes. Under then-Prime Minister Christy Clark, he served as Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister and, later, as Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Minister. Prior to his removal from the caucus, Rustad served as forestry critic for the BC Liberals. Falcon said anyone who has fundamental doubts about the reality of climate change will not be welcome in the BC Liberal caucus going forward.
“It’s not going to work.”

title: “Longtime Bc Liberal Mla Removed From Caucus After Continued Denial On Climate Change Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-13” author: “Miguel Myers”

In posts on both Facebook and Twitter, Rustad, the MLA for the Nechako Lakes riding west of Prince George, shared a graphic and a post arguing that people have been “fooled” by the science of climate change and should they are happy that CO2 is being emitted into the atmosphere. MLA John Rustad has been removed from the BC Liberal caucus after sharing tweets denying climate change. (Twitter) In response, Kevin Falcon, who was elected party leader in February, distanced himself from Rustad’s stance, tweeting, “#ClimateChange is one of the most critical threats facing our future” and that Rustad “does not he speaks on behalf of the parliamentary group on this issue.” Let me be clear, that the —@KevinFalcon That tweet was released on Wednesday and on Thursday, Falcon issued the following statement: “Politics is a team sport and British Columbians look to their elected officials to work together on the important issues facing our province. “Following a pattern of behavior that was not supportive of our group and our principles of mutual respect and trust, I have removed MLA John Rustad from the BC Liberal Caucus effective immediately.” Falcon told the CBC that he tried to contact Rustad after the tweet in question, but was unable to find him as of Thursday. When they talked, she told him he needed to be a “team player.” “I couldn’t get the satisfaction that he is ready to be a team player, so I dismissed him from the team.” Rustad could not be reached for comment. Falcon says Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone will become interim forestry critic.

History of inflammatory, misleading social media posts

It’s not the first time Rustad’s stance on climate change – and his use of social media – has come under fire. In April 2021, he took issue with the use of the word “pollution” to describe C02 during the NDP provincial government’s speech from the throne. “Carbon dioxide is an essential component of life on this planet. It’s not pollution, and this kind of misinformation out there is just ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to do this. It doesn’t serve anybody well,” Rustad said. When asked directly by the CBC if he believes climate change is real and human-caused, Rustad declined to answer. In January 2021, he faced backlash over a Facebook post questioning the decision to release the COVID-19 vaccine to Indigenous members of his riding on priority. “Who makes the decision to continue vaccinating an 18-year-old in the same community while not vaccinating a 90-year-old with significant health challenges?” he wrote, referring to youths in the Nak’azdli community near Fort St. James, BC And in 2019, he made a post spreading the false claim that government scientists had euthanized 24 endangered caribou. When asked why he made the post without verifying whether it was true, Rustad said, “If there are mistakes and things that were done, I certainly don’t want to be part of what will be considered fake news,” adding, “At the same time, when information like that comes out, it’s information worth sharing.” When Falcon became leader of the BC Liberals in May 2022, he says he spoke to members about working together. “John has been around a long time. He knows better,” Falcon said. “He knows exactly what he did and knows exactly what the potential consequences could be.” Rustad was first elected to office in 2005 as the representative for the riding of Prince George-Omineca, which was later dissolved and replaced by what is now Nechako Lakes. Under then-Prime Minister Christy Clark, he served as Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister and, later, as Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Minister. Prior to his removal from the caucus, Rustad served as forestry critic for the BC Liberals. Falcon said anyone who has fundamental doubts about the reality of climate change will not be welcome in the BC Liberal caucus going forward.
“It’s not going to work.”

title: “Longtime Bc Liberal Mla Removed From Caucus After Continued Denial On Climate Change Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-15” author: “Martin Smith”

In posts on both Facebook and Twitter, Rustad, the MLA for the Nechako Lakes riding west of Prince George, shared a graphic and a post arguing that people have been “fooled” by the science of climate change and should they are happy that CO2 is being emitted into the atmosphere. MLA John Rustad has been removed from the BC Liberal caucus after sharing tweets denying climate change. (Twitter) In response, Kevin Falcon, who was elected party leader in February, distanced himself from Rustad’s stance, tweeting, “#ClimateChange is one of the most critical threats facing our future” and that Rustad “does not he speaks on behalf of the parliamentary group on this issue.” Let me be clear, that the —@KevinFalcon That tweet was released on Wednesday and on Thursday, Falcon issued the following statement: “Politics is a team sport and British Columbians look to their elected officials to work together on the important issues facing our province. “Following a pattern of behavior that was not supportive of our group and our principles of mutual respect and trust, I have removed MLA John Rustad from the BC Liberal Caucus effective immediately.” Falcon told the CBC that he tried to contact Rustad after the tweet in question, but was unable to find him as of Thursday. When they talked, she told him he needed to be a “team player.” “I couldn’t get the satisfaction that he is ready to be a team player, so I dismissed him from the team.” Rustad could not be reached for comment. Falcon says Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone will become interim forestry critic.

History of inflammatory, misleading social media posts

It’s not the first time Rustad’s stance on climate change – and his use of social media – has come under fire. In April 2021, he took issue with the use of the word “pollution” to describe C02 during the NDP provincial government’s speech from the throne. “Carbon dioxide is an essential component of life on this planet. It’s not pollution, and this kind of misinformation out there is just ridiculous. It’s ridiculous to do this. It doesn’t serve anybody well,” Rustad said. When asked directly by the CBC if he believes climate change is real and human-caused, Rustad declined to answer. In January 2021, he faced backlash over a Facebook post questioning the decision to release the COVID-19 vaccine to Indigenous members of his riding on priority. “Who makes the decision to continue vaccinating an 18-year-old in the same community while not vaccinating a 90-year-old with significant health challenges?” he wrote, referring to youths in the Nak’azdli community near Fort St. James, BC And in 2019, he made a post spreading the false claim that government scientists had euthanized 24 endangered caribou. When asked why he made the post without verifying whether it was true, Rustad said, “If there are mistakes and things that were done, I certainly don’t want to be part of what will be considered fake news,” adding, “At the same time, when information like that comes out, it’s information worth sharing.” When Falcon became leader of the BC Liberals in May 2022, he says he spoke to members about working together. “John has been around a long time. He knows better,” Falcon said. “He knows exactly what he did and knows exactly what the potential consequences could be.” Rustad was first elected to office in 2005 as the representative for the riding of Prince George-Omineca, which was later dissolved and replaced by what is now Nechako Lakes. Under then-Prime Minister Christy Clark, he served as Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister and, later, as Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Minister. Prior to his removal from the caucus, Rustad served as forestry critic for the BC Liberals. Falcon said anyone who has fundamental doubts about the reality of climate change will not be welcome in the BC Liberal caucus going forward.
“It’s not going to work.”