KRUGGEL: I did not see that coming ... Rustad kicks out Sturko

I've followed, studied, and commented on politics for decades. I've been at this a very long time. I'm rarely surprised.

Elenore Sturko was one of the MLAs in the BC Conservative caucus that tried to bridge the socially moderate BC Liberal wing of the party to the more fiscally conservative BC Conservative wing of the party. She was and still is an outspoken MLA and here's the thing: she's almost always right. She gives the party a very good public image.

Yesterday party leader John Rustad won his leadership review with just over 70% support. Normally a leader wants 70% as a bare minimum with an eye to for 80%. But 70% will suffice.

You may remember a couple of weeks ago when the Ontario Liberal leader resigned after receiving around 65% of the vote in her leadership review.

Rustad came off that win and then kicked Sturko out of caucus. This was a unilateral decision by him. He claimed she as trying to undermine his leadership.

Why is this so surprising?

Well it is surprising because Rustad just had a big public win. His leadership was secure. He did not need to go after anyone and rock the boat. In fact, focusing on the NDP with his caucus behind him would have looked like a party that had its proverbial crap together.

Instead, he acted rather petty and now looks like a vindictive small man in public going after his perceived enemies rather than a big man taking the high road.

He acted like Donald Trump when he could have acted like Brian Mulroney or Jean Chretien. The latter two made their leadership rivals their top ministers. Both Michael Wilson and Paul Martin were made the Finance Ministers under Mulroney and Chretien respectively. That served to unify their parties under their leadership with their rivals given top spots in cabinet.

Rustad should have elevated Sturko if she was the problem he says she was. That would have brought her closer into the fold and those that are looking to her would have followed.

I'm not saying anything new here. That's Parliamentary Politics 101. It is how diplomats build alliances. That is how you build a movement. You make the tent bigger. You don't make it smaller.

A long time lesson in Canadian politics is that you are okay to kick out extremists but you never, ever kick out a moderate.

This is a huge misstep by John Rustad. He's done some real damage to this public profile and I don't think he can fix this one.