Today, John Rustad said that he “accepted” Brent Chapman’s apology for a series of hateful posts targeting Muslims. Rustad did not say he had consulted with Muslim community leaders. Last night, he ruled out asking Chapman to resign before even speaking to him.

On August 28, 2024, Rustad was asked by CFAX about the controversial views of his candidates. He said “racism” and “hate” were his lines in the sand:

Rob Buffam: “Does that mean that some of your candidates who were nominated earlier are ones that you would not have nominated going forward if they'd been nominated later in the process?”

John Rustad: “It depends on vetting and going through the various things, the components. The bottom line is, for me, there are two lines in the sand in my opinion. I'm not interested in candidates that are spreading hate and I'm not interested in candidates who are spreading racism.”

Audio of that exchange is available here.

Members of the Muslim community, including commentators Mo Amir and Kareem Allam, are calling for Chapman to resign. NCCM has indicated it will be judging the apology based on actions taken and will “be consulting with local Masajid and community organizations about what the next steps look like.”

Ravi Kahlon, BC NDP Candidate:

“John Rustad showed today that he doesn’t have the backbone to stand behind his own words. Brent Chapman’s comments are racist and hateful, period. If John Rustad can’t stand up against the hate in his own party, why would he think he can lead this province?”