Okanagan Nation Alliance calls on BC Cons to remove candidate after ‘racist’ comments

The final count of BC election ballots is well underway and one of the closest races is between Conservative Marina Sapozhnikov and the NDP’s Dana Lajeunesse in the Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding.

As of Sunday afternoon, the NDP led the riding by 106 votes and a recount was underway, but the riding has been thrown into this weekend’s spotlight after an article about Sapozhnikov making “abhorrent and racist comments" was published.

An article published by the Vancouver Sun earlier this week wrote that Sapozhnikov made several comments about Indigenous people in an interview with a Vancouver Island University student on election night, including calling them “savages.”

Following the news of the comments, Chief Clarence Louie, Tribal Chair of the Syilx Okanagan Nation, released a statement on Sunday.

“We join other voices, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, in condemning the abhorrent and racist comments made by the BC Conservative candidate for the riding of Juan de Fuca-Malahat, Marina Sapozhnikov,” said Louie.

While BC Conservative Leader John Rustad issued a statement saying he was "appalled and deeply saddened" by the comments, the Okanagan Nation Alliance is calling for the candidate’s removal.

“These ignorant and hateful comments, which constitute a form of hate speech, have no place in our society,” added Louie.

“We call on BC Conservative Leader, John Rustad, to immediately take a clear and strong stand against hate and racism, by removing her from his political party.”

The final count is expected to be completed on Monday and that is when more than 22,000 absentee and special votes will be counted, giving a clear picture of how the new government will look.

“Indigenous Nations are the first peoples and the original rights and title holders of this province, as recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada,” Louie stated.

“We have been here since time immemorial and we have survived the racist and colonial views and actions of people like Ms. Sapozhnikov, whose comments show the true depth of her own ignorance of both history and the contemporary reality of our province.”

_{With files from The Canadian Press.}