B.C. interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson says campaign director Katy Merrifield will remain on the job after questions about a June social media post.
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B.C. interim Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson said Wednesday that Katy Merrifield will stay on as the party’s election campaign director after controversy over a social media post.
Doerkson faced questions about Merrifield during Wednesday night’s B.C. leaders’ debate, after moderator Shachi Kurl asked him to address reports that Merrifield used an epithet in combination with Islam in a social media post in June. The post was taken down shortly afterward.
Doerkson said Merrifield is a survivor of sexual violence and described the post as a “moment of trauma” for her.
NDP Leader David Eby challenged Doerkson’s decision to keep Merrifield on, saying Doerkson was minimizing Merrifield’s words and adding: “Her Twitter feed reads like the worst corners of the dark web.”
The exchange between Eby and Doerkson expanded into a longer back-and-forth about alleged hateful comments made by their respective candidates.
Doerkson’s comments came amid concerns raised by the NDP and Muslim organizations, including the BC Muslim Association and the Unified Muslim Associations of B.C., which called for the Conservatives to take action over Merrifield’s post.
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