Pride organizations from across British Columbia are calling for the legislature to formally censure Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong and say Armstrong should resign.
Seventeen groups said in a joint letter Monday they are “deeply disturbed” by the Independent MLA’s recent introduction of a bill to repeal B.C.’s Human Rights Code, and by Armstrong’s social media posts about transgender people after last month’s shootings in Tumbler Ridge.
“The Human Rights Code guarantees every British Columbian the right to live free from discrimination based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, and other protected grounds. Its repeal would strip away decades of progress and undermine our province’s fundamental commitment to equality and human dignity,” the groups said in their letter.
Armstrong proposed the private member’s bill on Feb. 26 calling for the repeal of the province’s Human Rights Code, arguing it harms freedom of speech. She pointed to a recent Human Rights Tribunal decision that found several statements by then-Chilliwack school board trustee Barry Neufeld about trans and queer-inclusive education amounted to hate speech. The tribunal ordered Neufeld to pay $750,000 for violating the Human Rights Code.
Armstrong’s bill failed, but it sparked heated debate after several B.C. Conservatives voted in favour of moving it to first reading. Premier David Eby slammed the Conservatives after the vote, saying “Human rights are not up for debate.”
Conservative interim leader Trevor Halford said caucus members were following a long-standing convention in the legislature of allowing bills to move to first reading, no matter how contentious, so MLAs and British Columbians can scrutinize the content of a bill.
Armstrong’s former OneBC colleague Dallas Brodie introduced several divisive bills last fall that were overwhelmingly voted down before first reading, including a bill to ban Indigenous land acknowledgements and another to do away with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a public holiday.
“The B.C. Conservatives have voted down other bills at first reading, but when it came to basic rights for millions of British Columbians, they voted to rip them away,” said Attorney General Niki Sharma in a statement.
Independent MLA Elenore Sturko said it’s “ludicrous” that a bill should always pass on first reading.
“In the two minutes of having that bill explained to me what it would be, to repeal the Human Rights Code of British Columbia, I already knew that it wasn’t something I supported wasting time in the legislature to debate,” said Sturko.
The Pride organizations also said they were “alarmed” by Armstrong’s statements after the Tumbler Ridge shootings, referring to the incident as part of an “epidemic of transgender violence.”
“These posts are not only factually incorrect, but profoundly harmful to an already marginalized community,” said the organizations.
RCMP have said the shooter, who died in the Feb. 10 attacks, was an 18-year-old trans woman.
“By spreading misinformation that vilifies an entire group, Ms. Armstrong has failed to meet the basic standards of integrity and care expected of a public official,” the Pride groups said.
The Pride organizations want legislators to formally censure Armstrong for conduct unbecoming a Member of the Legislative Assembly. They are also calling on the legislature to reaffirm its commitment to the Human Rights Code and undertake enhanced training and accountability measures for elected officials.
Armstrong has said she does not plan to resign.
Eby noted on Monday that Armstrong and Brodie’s constituents have the right to launch a recall petition if they choose.
“I don’t believe that either of those MLAs campaigned on what they’ve been doing here, which is to increase hate and division, to demonize Indigenous people and attack their constitutional rights, to propose repealing basic human rights in the province,” said Eby.
A website for a campaign to recall Armstrong said it will apply to Elections B.C. for a recall petition on April 20. Once approved, the petition would have 60 days to collect at least 18,000 signatures from registered voters in her riding.
Independent MLA Amelia Boultbee tabled a private member’s bill during the last fall session of Parliament aimed at lowering the threshold for an MLA to be recalled. If passed, it would allow for a recall petition 12-months after an election, instead of 18-months. It would also change the minimum amount of signatures required for a petition to be equal to or greater than the number of votes the member received in the election. Currently, a petition needs to gather signatures of at least 40 per cent of eligible voters in the district.
Boultbee said she understands why the Pride societies have called for Armstrong’s resignation and censure.
“It is appalling the language and the rhetoric that’s used not only in the House, but on social media,” she said.
But Boultbee said also raised concerns about potentially drawing more attention to Armstrong’s controversial views.
B.C. Green MLA Rob Botterell said the party is actively considering a censure motion against Armstrong, and the input of Pride organizations is helpful in building that case.
“Every day that goes by we are watching closely what MLA Armstrong and others are saying to the legislature and calibrating that with what will qualify as a censure motion and the breadth of support we need,” said Botterell. “I’m really hopeful that we’ll be able to deal with this before the end of the spring session.”
