Former BC Green Party leader Andrew Weaver is making a comeback in B.C.|Politics, criticized NDP Premier David Eby in an op-ed in the Vancouver Sun and praised British Columbia Conservative Leader John Rustad. He echoed those views in an interview with
Watch;
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/former-bc-green-party-leader-andrew-weaver-slams-premier-david-eby-praises-conservatives-john-rustad-1.6959402?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar
"(Rustad) reminds me a lot of John Horgan in the sense that he's a listener.| "He's someone who will listen to you, who won't agree with you, but who's open to changing his views," Weaver said.
Weaver is a climatologist and one of the architects of the province's climate plan: CleanBC.| He forged an alliance (and famous bromance) with Horgan that helped the NDP come to power in 2017, but has been critical of Horganand's successor.
"What we're looking for is somebody who is authentic, who is willing to talk to us, who is willing to listen," he said.
"He's reacting like some, and frankly I am, to the alarmist rhetoric out there," Weaver said Wednesday.
Rustad welcomed Weaverand's praise on Wednesday and returned the volley.
"Frankly, I think he would be a great candidate for us if we could ever find a place, if he was interested in running for us," Rustad said.
Rustad says climate change exists (and that humans are contributing to it), but maintains it's neither an existential threat nor a crisis.
"I don't even think it's the worst that we're facing in this province compared to British Columbia," he said.
Environment Minister George Heyman told CTV News on Wednesday that Rustad's comments on climate change were terrifying and he feared Rustad could destroy everything he's worked on for the past seven years, even with Andrew Weaver.
Weaverand's comments are evidence of further momentum for the Conservatives in British Columbia, UBC political analyst Gerald Baier said.
"It certainly suggests that there's still some unity around the BC Conservatives as an alternative to the BC NDP," Baier said.
It's an impulse the premier acknowledged on Tuesday, saying he has "probably" made his decision will face Rustad when asked who his primary opponent will be this fall.
Weaver said Wednesday that he does not plan to run for office but would like to serve as a climate adviser to Rustad, a position he said is more akin to an economic adviser.