The chief of the BC Conservatives has publicly responded to a letter from 13 MLAs singling out certainly one of their caucus colleagues.
The letter, addressed to Conservative Leader John Rustad, focused Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko, after she expressed assist for the ouster of Vancouver Police Board vice-chair Consolation Sakoma in an interview with the CBC.
The letter urged Rustad to ask Sturko to apologize or to take action himself on behalf of the get together, and questioned whether or not Sturko’s feedback had been “vetted prematurely by senior employees.”
The board had requested for and obtained Sakoma’s resignation after controversial posts on her Instagram account about Christianity, immigration and gender identification surfaced.
In an announcement posted to social media on Monday, Rustad mentioned he’d met with Sakoma and mentioned their “shared values of household, religion, and neighborhood and about what it means to be proudly Christian and proudly Conservative.” He mentioned such values embrace supporting spiritual liberty and freedom of speech, even amid disagreements.
Rustad acknowledged there had been “some controversy” about his resolution to permit totally different viewpoints amongst MLAs, together with Sturko’s feedback.
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“I wish to make it crystal clear the place I personally stand. I assist Consolation Sakoma and I don’t consider she ought to have been requested to stop the VPD police board,” he mentioned.
“Nevertheless, I additionally perceive the crucial significance of freedom of speech, significantly for MLAs.”
Rustad added he believes Sturko ought to meet with Sakoma “earlier than drawing additional judgement.”
Sturko responded to Rustad’s social media publish late Tuesday, rejecting his suggestion.
“I carry the identical values & ideas ahead as a proud elected member of the Conservative Occasion of BC in representing my constituents & all British Columbians,” she mentioned.
“I don’t plan to satisfy with Ms. Sakoma, nor do I plan to jot down a letter as requested by a few of my colleagues, although I want her the perfect.”
Sakoma resigned from the police board on Nov. 22, after screenshots of her Instagram tales had been posted to Reddit.
Within the posts, Sakoma prompt Christianity underpins Canadian tradition and values, raised issues about secular schooling “erasing Christian values from the lives of our kids,” and mused that publicity to Diwali celebrations in colleges may result in Hinduism changing into the “dominant cultural affect.”
The posts claimed that “mass immigration with out consideration of cultural integration, mixed with a rising aversion to assimilation are slowly reworked Canada into a spot the place shared identification is disappearing” and claimed the nation has a “woke tradition that pits kids in opposition to their dad and mom by making a judicial system the place dad and mom may be incarcerated for refusing to let their minor youngster bear gender transitions.”
Police board chair Frank Chong subsequently mentioned he requested for Sakoma-Fadugba’s resignation, stating the social media posts “don’t mirror the worth of the Board and are inconsistent with our code of conduct.”
Sakoma advised World Information that because the controversy, she had been flooded with each abuse and assist.
The complete listing of signatories on the letter to Rustad consists of:
- Tara Armstrong, MLA for Kelowna-Lake Nation-Coldstream
- Rosalyn Chicken, MLA for Prince George-Valemount
- Dallas Brodie, MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena
- Brent Chapman, MLA for Surrey South
- Reann Gasper, MLA for Abbotsford-Mission
- Sharon Hartwell, MLA for Bulkley Valley-Stikine
- Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island
- Jordan Kealy, MLA for Peace River North
- Kristina Loewen, MLA for Kelowna Centre
- Macklin McCall, MLA for West Kelowna-Peachland
- Heather Maahs, MLA for Chilliwack North
- Korky Neufeld, MLA for Abbotsford West
- Ward Stammer, MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson
© 2024 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
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