On Monday, the BC NDP shared a video of BC Conservative leader John Rustad admitting he wishes he had never received the COVID-19 vaccine.

In the video, Rustad was meeting with BC Public Service Employees for Freedom on June 18, 2024.

Rustad said he had a meeting with the provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and said he “realized something wasn’t quite right” when they were talking about the vaccine mandates Henry put in place during the pandemic.

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“I’ve had three shots of the vaccine,” Rustad said. “I wish I hadn’t, quite frankly. And that’s one of the things that’s changed in my thinking, the so-called vaccine, the COVID mRNA shots.”

Rustad said that when he talked to Henry about the vaccine mandates, he realized “it wasn’t so much about trying to get herd immunity or trying to stop the spread, but it was more around shaping opinion and control on the population.”

BC NDP Leader David Eby was quick to respond to the video on Monday, saying in a statement that the COVID vaccines saved so many lives in B.C.

Eby questioned how Rustad would react to a measles outbreak in B.C.

“What will he say?” Eby asked.

“Will he encourage people to get vaccinated? Measles kills kids. So these are not minor considerations. This is really important for British Columbians to know.”

Eby said Rustad will say one thing in a meeting when he thinks it won’t be made public and another thing in public.

“Can’t trust John Rustad on health policy, on what he says, because he’s always saying something different to different groups,” Eby added.