THE BC NDP said on Saturday that with today’s candidate deadline, Interim B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson had an opportunity to set a higher standard for what views are welcome in the party. He declined.
Instead, he’s chosen to embrace the far-right wing of the party that made Kerry-Lynne Findlay the leader.
He rejected calls this week to fire Anna Kindy, who said COVID-19 vaccines are not safe or effective, and Heather Maahs, who compared gay people to pedophiles.
Maahs also hosted a reception for a group that thinks being gay is “sinful and destructive,” and said “Eby needs to comply” with Trump’s demands.
Sheldon Clare said municipal politicians should be hanged, defended the death rate of children at residential schools, denies climate change is real because it gets cold sometimes, and compared gun restrictions to the internment of Japanese Canadians during WW2.
Bruce Banman said he “needs more information” on whether climate change is real and said the decision to leave the B.C. Liberals was based on his support for the conspiracy theory-driven Freedom Convoy.
Jody Toor has been called a “quack” doctor who faked a medical degree.
Harman Bhangu thinks “antifa dressed as Trump supporters and broke in” to the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, and said the COVID-19 vaccine was “trash.”
Bryan Tepper also pushed the MAGA conspiracy theory that January 6th was a lie, and invited to the legislature a far-right influencer who called Doug Ford a “fat pig” for opposing Trump.
Sharon Hartwell thinks the Democrats stole the 2020 election from Trump, and called the Freedom Convoy organizers an inspiration.
Macklin McCall criticized police for responding to the illegal Ostrich farm protest.
Steve Kooner called inclusive education “garbage perverted ideology.”
David Williams suggested Western Canada should separate and become “a Protectorate of the United States.”
Kristina Loewen compared pandemic restrictions to the Holocaust.
Lawrence Mok, Harman Bhangu, Anna Kindy, Sheldon Clare, Korky Neufeld, Heather Maahs, Ward Stamer, Bryan Tepper, David Williams, and Rosalyn Bird all voted to ban Pride flags.
And when asked earlier this week about working with OneBC, Doerkson acknowledged “there have been conversations” – instead of rejecting Dallas Brodie’s division and hate.
Henry Yao, B.C. NDP Candidate for Richmond Centre, said: “British Columbians hoping for a different approach from the B.C. Conservatives will be disappointed today. Instead of taking this opportunity to reject conspiracy theories and homophobia, Lorne Doerkson has chosen to embrace the far-right Findlay wing, which makes up nearly half of their caucus. We simply can’t afford to let these extreme B.C. Conservatives into positions of power.”
