The United dossier
Looking at the opposition research compiled by BC United on the Conservatives
This week CKNW radio host and former MLA Jas Johal posted the entire dossier BC United prepared on the BC Conservatives online. This dossier was shared by Kevin Falcon with the BC Conservatives as part of their surrender. That means John Rustad and his team are already aware of everything posted.
It offers an unprecedented look at the attack strategy of a (now defunct) political party, as well as insights into the weaknesses of the BC Conservatives in the coming election. It also gives an idea why the Conservatives removed at least one candidate, and which ones they stood by.
The document contains 216 examples of social media posts, comments or likes that raise questions about the seriousness, capability and knowledge of Conservative candidates. 40 different candidates are cited, but one — Alexandra Wright in Kelowna-Mission — had already been removed by the time they received this report. Only two candidates appear to have been affected by Kevin Falcon handing this over to the Conservatives — Rachael Weber in Prince George-Mackenzie was removed, and Jaclyn Aubichon in West Vancouver-Capilano resigned to let another candidate run.
The top eight BC Conservative candidates for numbers of times flagged in the dossier are all still running with the party. Removed candidate Rachel Weber, who came in at #9, appears 11 times.
Tim Thielmann, Victoria-Beacon Hill (appears 21 times)
Paul Ratchford, Vancouver-Point Grey (17)
Harman Bhangu, Langley-Abbotsford (17)
Chris Sankey, North Coast-Haida Gwaii (13)
Kristina Loewen, Kelowna Centre (13)
John Rustad, Nechako Lakes (12)
Bryan Breguet, Vancouver-Langara (12)
Sheldon Clare, Prince George-North Cariboo (12)
It’s all a conspiracy
The primary risk to the BC Conservatives seems to be candidates sharing misinformation, extremist ideals or conspiracy theories — 10 different candidates are flagged, with ousted candidate Rachel Weber being the worst offender. Her posts give an idea as to why she was removed — she has posted, for example, that the anti-Christ will rise because of microchips and cashless payments. She also suggested that online retailer Wayfair is involved in human trafficking, presenting the definitions of “waif” and “fare” as her evidence.
Jordan Kealy, who is running in Peace River North, shares a belief with leader John Rustad that there is a conspiracy to force people to eat bugs. In the same post, he suggested the government also secretly controls the weather. On Vancouver Island, Cowichan Valley Conservative candidate John Koury liked a post that called Elon Musk a “Chinese Communist Stooge”.
Sheldon Clare running in Prince George-North Cariboo was retained over BC United MLA Coralee Oakes. He is very into guns. So into them, in fact, he has suggested that Canadians have “Second Amendment” rights, relinquishing firearms is similar to 1933 Germany, that gun violence is not a problem in Canada, and that gun control leads to detention camps.
There is also a separate section for conspiracies related to US politics. Cowichan Valley candidate John Koury and Stikine’s Sharon Hartwell both believe that Donald Trump was the true winner of the last US election. Sheldon Clare appears again, as he called Kyle Rittenhouse — who shot two men dead when he was 17 — an “American hero”.
Climate change is not real
Being that the thing the Conservative leader is most well known for before his rise was his disbelief regarding climate change, it’s not surprising many of his candidates share his views. Chris Sankey in North Coast-Haida Gwaii, for example, believes that wildfires are started by arsonists trying to make the case that climate change is happening.
Similarly, Martina Sapozhnikov in Juan de Fuca-Malahat believes that there is no climate emergency, as more people die from exposure to the cold than heat, and also because CO² is consumed by plants. Paul Ratchford in Vancouver-Point Grey feels that being pro-carbon is pro-humanity, and that climate change is a hoax because it was cold in February.
If it ducks like a quack…
With BC Conservatives opting to avoid debates across the province, it raises the issue of what questions they are dodging. On social media, Conservative candidates seem to have no problem sharing their views on medical science. A dozen candidates are flagged in the section of the dossier titled “Medical Quackery”.
In some cases, these things have already been covered by the media. Anna Kindy, who is running in North Island, is well known for her speeches regarding COVID, and has often appeared alongside Spencer Malthouse, who was already removed from the Conservative slate in March. Alexandra Wright, who was removed in August, opposes free shingles vaccines for seniors and liked a post calling for Dr. Bonnie Henry to be criminally investigated, as has Paul Ratchford. Mike Harris, who came an impressive second-place in the Langford-Juan de Fuca by-election, posted on his LinkedIn that the COVID virus can be killed by blowing a hairdryer up your nose.
Bring back the bashings
I’ve already written about the contempt within the BC Conservatives for LGBTQ+ people, but the researchers at BC United were able to find even more quotes from candidates attacking the community.
“It doesn't take long for this evil ideology to affect our children's minds. And, of course, there are other concerning issues in the school district as well. But our children's mental health is the most important.”
Korky Neufeld, Abbotsford West
Paul Ratchford, who was already known to harbour animosity to queer people based on his attacks on fellow Conservative Elenore Sturko, features heavily. He attacks Kevin Falcon for condemning violence against queer people, got mad at the Vancouver Canucks for wearing Pride jerseys, and posts repeatedly that celebrating Pride is an endorsement of stripping and pedophilia.
He is joined by BC Conservative Vice President Harman Bhangu, candidate for Prince George-Valemount Rosalyn Bird, and Victoria-Beacon Hill’s Tim Thielmann in regularly targeting queer folks. Thielmann in particular is very opposed to recognition and dignity for transgender folks, and emphasizes his position on a regular basis.
Women also may find some of the posts by candidates objectionable. Honveer Randhawa in Surrey-Guildford has made jokes about female drivers, and Vancouver-Langara’s Bryan Breguet commented on a photo of an attractive woman suggesting she probably has had abortions.
Breguet appears to have a specific fascination with abortion, speaking on anti-abortion podcasts, and making comments such as, “we are disappearing and we need babies.” Harman Bhangu in Langley-Abbotsford opposes abortions and commits to “helping families to have children”.
On racism, Paul Ratchford continues to feature heavily, suggesting UBC should be defunded for having a professor specializing in race, and expressing skepticism on the need for Black History Month. Tim Thielmann asked the Victoria police department investigate support groups at the university for racialized students in response to a post about a “whites only” daycare.
Bread and butter issues
The number one issue to British Columbians has consistently been affordability. The Conservatives highlighted in the dossier have some unique suggestions for how their party might approach these issues.
Vancouver-Langara's Bryan Breguet recommends moving to the United States. Chris Sankey from North Coast-Haida Gwaii suggests an incoming Conservative government would make cuts to programs. Dallas Brodie in Vancouver-Quilchena says young people should be okay with having mice and cockroaches in their apartments.
Paul Ratchford promises to lift rent controls to ensure landlords can extract the most profit from their properties. Kristina Loewen in Kelowna Centre, Tim Taylor in Victoria-Swan Lake and Reann Gasper in Abbotsford-Mission all recommend people deal with affordability by investing in real estate.
Does it even matter?
The rest is a hodgepodge of hypocrisy — such as Melissa de Genova in Vancouver-Yaletown supporting safe supply against her party's policy — and eyebrow-raising posts like Harman Bhangu’s defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
What's noteworthy is that John Rustad and his team were clearly not bothered by the contents of the dossier — all but a few candidates named remain in place and will appear on the ballot as Conservatives.
The question remains, if these folks are elected, how will these opinions influence the way they govern?