Photo courtesy: Canadian Press

By Greg Fry

Provincial politics

Indigenous leader says politicians must pay bigger price for ‘hate speech’

Mar 11, 2025 | 4:08 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — “It certainly sets reconciliation backwards.”

The words of Regional Chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations Terry Teegee to comments made by former Conservative MLA Dallas Brodie that belittled and mocked residential school survivors.

Those comments prompted BC Conservative Leader John Rustad to kick Brodie out of caucus last week.

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“We’re glad Mr. Rustad booted her out of the party and believe that she’s unfit to sit as an MLA in the legislature.”

Brodie’s comments were quickly condemned by B.C.’s Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Christine Boyle.

“I find it hard to believe in the year 2025 that we still have people in public office who are denying the experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children. Attempts to discredit the experiences of residential school students are incredibly disturbing and harmful.”

To that end, Teegee says BC chiefs recently passed a resolution addressing issues like this one.

“To call out this kind of hate speech and make it unlawful. I think it’s really a step in the right direction. We need to call this out and stem the tide of hate and also misunderstanding of many of First Nations in this country.”

Teegee feels that the resolution is badly needed arguing that people have become more emboldened to spew hateful views since the Covid-19 pandemic, even dating back to when Donald Trump was first elected president back in 2016.