The British Columbia Conservatives are standing by a candidate who called Palestinian children “inbred” and “time bombs,” remarks that NDP Leader David Eby describes as "criminal hate speech."
Conservatives Leader John Rustad says he has accepted the apology of Surrey South candidate Brent Chapman and won't ask him to step down, but Eby says a candidate engaged in such speech should be fired.
Chapman's comments in a series of social media posts about 10 years ago are resurfacing days ahead of the Oct. 19 provincial election.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims says they consider Chapman's posts that refer to Palestinian children as "walking, talking, breathing time bombs" as deeply Islamophobic, disgusting, and utterly unacceptable.
Rustad says Chapman has apologized and has spoken to the party's two Muslim candidates and numerous staff members.
Eby, who's a former executive director with the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, told a campaign event in Coquitlam that what Chapman said has "all the elements of criminal speech," but he's protected from prosecution because it's been more than six months.
"If you have a candidate who engages in criminal hate speech, that candidate gets fired."
Chapman's comments were first highlighted by radio host and former BC Liberal MLA Jas Johal on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Rustad says he and his party "will not stand for hate" in B.C.
"I'll stand up against it at every step along the way and make sure that all people in this province can feel safe,” Rustad says.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims says it is waiting on commitments from Chapman, Rustad and the B.C. Conservatives “to challenge Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism.”
“We will also be consulting with local (mosques) and community organizations about what the next steps look like on this issue,” the statement says.
Meanwhile, advance voting began Thursday at 343 locations around the province for the fall election.
Elections BC says the polls will be open from Oct. 10 to 13, then on Oct. 15 and 16.
Figures from Elections BC show that 35 per cent of ballots cast in the 2020 pandemic election came from advance voting, up from 30 per cent in 2017 and 20 per cent in 2013.
This year's paper ballots will be collected by electronic tabulators and almost all of them are expected to be officially counted on the Oct. 19 election day.
Elections BC says advance voting places will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and voters can find the most convenient location on their "where-to-vote" cards.
A complete list of locations and the dates they are open is available online
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024
Chuck Chiang and Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
