The interim leader says the Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate is no longer with the party after comments called racist surfaced on social media.
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The B.C. Conservative Party says it has removed its candidate in Victoria-Beacon Hill, Joachim Agou, following allegations tied to social media posts that the NDP described as racist.
The posts, which have since been deleted, included screenshots showing Agou responding to a video of a car ramming through a pro-Palestine protest. In one post, Agou said the driver “should have reversed” over demonstrators, according to the NDP’s account of the content.
Amna Shah, the NDP MLA candidate for Surrey City Centre, said the remarks “hurt everyday British Columbians” and “hurt people in my community.”
In a Thursday press conference, interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson said he was not initially aware of the posts, adding, “The reality is, I haven’t seen these posts or these allegations, and trust me when I say this, I will be looking into it as soon as I leave this podium.”
Later, Doerkson addressed the issue in a statement, saying, “There is no excuse for this. I will not tolerate it. The candidate in Victoria-Beacon Hill is no longer a Conservative candidate. If elected, he will not serve in the Caucus.”
Campaigning on Thursday also focused on affordability and education as the provincial election campaign reached its halfway point, with Oct. 24 as the election date. In Steveston, NDP leader David Eby said the NDP would keep ICBC rates frozen for an additional three years if re-elected, building on seven years of frozen rates.
Doerkson also discussed affordability, saying his party would commit to a $1,000 tax cut and that British Columbians would not pay provincial income tax on their first $32,000 in earnings. Green Party leader Emily Lowan outlined education priorities, including closing school funding gaps, a full-time counsellor in every school, and a universal school lunch program.
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