The BC Conservative caucus has fired communications officer Lindsay Shepherd for calling the Residential School Survivors’ flag “a disgrace.”

BC NDP MLA Rohini Arora has issued the following statement:

“This took too long, but the BC Conservative caucus did the right thing. Credit to Conservative MLAs who stand up to bigotry inside their party.

“But Lindsay Shepherd’s hiring is a sign of the far-right influence and hate that is allowed to proliferate at every level of the party.

“MLAs like Scott McInnis, Peter Milobar, Á’a:líya Warbus, Amelia Boultbee, Ward Stamer (and more) have consistently recognized the experiences of survivors.

“But the BC Conservatives knew what Shepherd believed when they hired her. She has openly attacked TRC Day for years.

“After Shepherd’s post was deleted on Friday, Heather Maahs made a point to back Shepherd on social media. Anna Kindy suggested that TRC Day was about ‘rewriting history’ – a dogwhistle for residential school denial.

“Two weeks ago they fired their only lesbian MLA, which Elenore Sturko described as ‘doubling down on social conservatism.’

“Far-right extremism is tolerated and even welcomed in the BC Conservatives – until it becomes public. British Columbians deserve MLAs who act against hate and denialism all the time. Not just when it becomes an embarrassment to their party.”

Arora’s response is available on social media with relevant screenshots here.