With three MLAs leaving the BC Conservative Party in one day, two of their former colleagues shared their thoughts on their party's current state while in South Surrey on Sunday.

Following Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie's removal from the Conservative caucus Friday (March 7) after appearing on a video podcast discussing residential schools, two of her fellow MLAs also  鈥� with possible plans to start a new political party. Peace River North MLA Jordan Kealy and 琉璃神社-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong announced via Facebook they would both be leaving the party, with both blaming party leader John Rustad. 

Conservative house leader A'aliya Warbus, MLA for Chilliwack Cultus-Lake, and Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford, also a Conservative, attended the Semiahmoo First Nation's annual powwow at Earl Marriott Secondary Sunday (March 9), and took the time to speak to Peace Arch News about their party.

Warbus, who spoke up against Brodie in a , said at a Semiahmoo First Nation powwow on Sunday that the party is experiencing 鈥済rowing pains.鈥�

鈥淢y feelings are that, as a party, we are continually working to define ourselves since we all decided to work together under the big tent,鈥� she said Sunday (Feb. 9) while enjoying the powwow, an annual tradition at Earl Marriott Secondary in South Surrey for nearly 30 years.

鈥淏ig tent is never going to be easy. It鈥檚 bound to have its challenges, its moments, its growing pains, and to me (Brodie and other MLAs鈥� departure) was an example of that. Where we are going to land as a party is going to define us, moving forward, and I believe if we take strong stances on things like our history with Indigenous peoples that we鈥檙e going to grow from that and 鈥� be a solid opposition.鈥�

Conservative Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford, who was also at the powwow, said it was disappointing to lose MLAs from their party but emphasized he has 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥� for 鈥渁nything regarding hate or intolerance.鈥�

鈥淚 fully support reconciliation,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e either on the team or you鈥檙e not. I鈥檓 on the team, and I鈥檓 focused on what we need to be focused on,鈥� he added, mentioning the looming U.S. tariffs and potential trade war, among other pressing issues. 

Peace Arch News also reached out to Conservative Surrey South MLA Brent Chapman. 

The MLAs who left the party appeared for a brief press conference at the legislature in Victoria Monday (March 10). In their social media posts, they blamed the party's environment and Rustad. All three are listed as independents on the Legislative Assembly of B.C.'s website.

Kealy said he witnessed firsthand how toxic the Conservative Party of B.C. had become. 

"Some of the worst bullies sit in the legislature, and the BC Conservatives are no exception. I stood up for a fellow MLA who was harassed for speaking the truth, only to become a target myself," Kealy said in his social media post.

"The party has created an environment where some so-called 'Conservatives' would rather throw cheap insults than deal with facts. There were no apologies, no accountability, and I refuse to stand with those who either enable or ignore that kind of behaviour."

Armstrong said that under Rustad's leadership, "one compromise after another has transformed that party into something I no longer recognize."

Brodie had come under fire from the public, the NDP and fellow Conservative MLAs for her post to X on Feb. 22 as the party's then-attorney general critic claiming "apparent mistreatment" of a lawyer who is suing his own law society for libel after having asked the society to reword training materials around residential schools. In her posts, she said "the confirmed number of child burials at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site is zero ... No one should be afraid of the truth. Not lawyers, their governing bodies, or anyone else."

Brodie refused to take down the post and posted her letter to Attorney General Niki Sharma on March 4.

On a recent podcast appearance, Rustad said Brodie used "a mocking, child-like voice to belittle testimony from former residential school students, saying things like 'my grandmother鈥檚 truth' and 'my truth, your truth' in a child-like 鈥榳hining鈥� voice." He referenced that podcast in his decision to remove her from the caucus.

Brodie has since doubled down on her claims of zero bodies found at residential schools and said the truth is a threat to "powerful vested interests in the multi-billion-dollar reconciliation industry."

For Warbus, who changed into a beautifully beaded and decorated outfit to join in at the powwow, separating her personal life from her professional life is key, but she enjoyed the chance to join in the powwow in South Surrey.

鈥淔or me, this is my medicine. This is the space where I feel very safe, very supported 鈥� very grounded in who I am,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have to keep my feet grounded in my culture and my community so that I can be strong in the important work I need to do.鈥�

鈥� with files from Lauren Collins