VICTORIA — The Opposition B.C. Liberals have removed MLA John Rustad from the party caucus after he retweeted comments that questioned the role of carbon dioxide in climate change.
Party leader Kevin Falcon says in a statement that Rustad, who represents Nechako Lakes in central B.C., has been removed for what he says is a "pattern of behaviour" that isn't supportive of the caucus.
Rustad had shared a tweet on Sunday by Patrick Moore, director of the CO2 Coalition, that said the case for carbon dioxide being the "control knob" for climate "gets weaker every day" and included the hashtag "Celebrate CO2."
Rustad could not immediately be reached for comment.
Falcon says in a statement that while the party encourages a diversity of perspectives, these have to exist on a foundation of mutual respect and trust, which Rustad had breached.
On Wednesday, Falcon tweeted that the party was "strongly committed to substantive climate action," and that he wanted B.C. to be a world leader in climate policy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2022.
The Canadian Press
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version quoted Patrick Moore's tweet as saying the case regarding climate and carbon dioxide was "getting weaker by the day". In fact, the tweet said the case "gets weaker every day".
