BC Conservative leader John Rustad “talked about our shared values of family, faith and community” after he shared a meal at Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba’s home.
The BC Conservatives did really well in the recent election. But virtually all of their 44 MLAs are new to the party, and many are completely novice politicians. Thus there will be some trials and tribulations as they get their feet on the ground.
Many have been suggesting the party may splinter even before the BC Legislature meets in February. One of the first trials involves overlapping issues of conservativism and faith.
The fallout from the November 22 resignation, under pressure, of former Vancouver Police Board Vice Chair Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba points to differing approaches between social conservatives and others within the party.
Sakoma-Fadugba resigned after making statements on social media calling for Canadians and new immigrants to respect Canadian traditions and the Christian religion.
A November 23 CBC News article reporting on her resignation highlighted the areas of controversy in her statement:
Of the screenshots shared to Reddit, one post discusses how “mass immigration” and “a growing aversion to assimilation” are “transforming Canada into a place where a shared identity is disappearing.”
Another post questions Diwali celebrations at schools, saying the “push for secular education isn’t about religion – it’s about erasing Christian values from the lives of our children.”
A third post references “gender transitions” while criticizing a “woke culture that pits children against their parents.”
Another claims Christian values serve as Canada’s moral compass and questions what would happen to the country if a different religion became more dominant.
(Go here for my November 27 post on the situation.)
Frank Chong is Chair of the Vancouver Police Board.
Critics, including Police Board Chair Frank Chong and Mayor Ken SIm said her comments do not reflect the values of the board and were divisive.
Another critic was Elenore Sturko, BC Conservative MLA for South Surrey (a former Liberal Party MLA and before that an RCMP officer), who focused on the transgender issue, saying, “When we have statements being made that erode the public’s trust, or their comfort with their police service, it makes it that much harder on the front-line officers.”
Many responded negatively to Sturko’s comments, including 13 BC Conservative MLAs, all neophytes, who wrote a letter to BC Conservative leader John Rustad November 29, asking him to “restore confidence in the core values of the Conservative Caucus.”
They wrote:
It is our view that the statements caused undue harm to Ms. Sakoma and called into question our commitment to the core values shared by Conservatives.
Under your leadership, the Conservative Party of BC has consistently denounced ‘cancel culture’ and stood for the Charter rights British Columbians enjoy to free expression and freedom of religion.
They wanted Rustad to ask Sturko to send a written apology to Sakoma-Fadugba and “encourage the Vancouver Police Board to advance conciliatory discussions” with the former board member.
Sturko responded December 10, just before taking part in a BC Conservative caucus meeting: “I stand by my position, and I won’t be meeting with her.” The 13 MLAs did not comment.
Rustad himself clearly supports Sakoma-Fadugba’s position. He tweeted December 9:
I’m grateful to Comfort Sakoma for inviting me into her beautiful home to share a meal with her, as we approach the auspicious holy day of Christmas.
Together, we talked about our shared values of family, faith and community and about what it means to be proudly Christian and proudly conservative.
To me, being Christian and conservative means fighting for parents rights, religious liberty, and freedom of speech – even when we don’t always fully agree with one another.
A December 10 CBC News report included this:
Rustad had been silent about the issue until Monday night when he posted on social media that he had shared a meal with Sakoma-Fadugba in her home and invited Sturko to meet with her as well.
“I want to make it crystal clear where I personally stand – I support Comfort Sakoma, and I don’t believe she should have been asked to quit the VPD police board,” Rustad wrote.
He said he understands “the critical importance of freedom of speech, particularly for MLAs.”
However, he said Sturko should “meet with Comfort Sakoma before drawing further judgment.
“Comfort is a wonderful person with so much to offer, and I hope she continues to advocate for the Conservative movement in British Columbia and in Canada.”
CBC News asked Rustad Tuesday if Sturko publicly defied him by responding that she would not meet with Sakoma-Fadugba.
“I expected that she would,” he said. “They have the right to be able to say things, they have a right to bring forward issues.”
Speaking
with CBC’s On the Coast host Gloria Macarenko about the issue of intra-party dissension December 9, BC Conservative Party board president Aisha Estey said it is, within bounds, a good thing:
This is an opportunity for some caucus members that don’t know each other very well yet to get in a room and have some discussions. There may be points that we’re never going to agree on, but that’s okay.
As long as we can reach policies and come to compromises on policies or bills that are still representative of the Conservative Party, because our party has a set of values and principles, we’re going to stick to that.
For the most part, Elenore completely agrees with those. There’s just a few things that we diverge on. So I think that this is an opportunity for all the MLAs to get to know each other better.
I think that this kind of discussion is actually healthy. If it remains private within the party, that would be preferred
But I think that we should be glad that even within parties were having this discussions, and it’s not one, univoice, no dissenting – we’re allowed to have disagreements in the party.
A Vancouver Sun article began:
John Rustad says he expects a spirit of defiance and for free speech to reign in his British Columbia Conservative Party caucus – even if it involves pitting team members against each other, including himself. . . .
Sturko’s defection from the BC United party to the B.C. Conservatives ahead of the fall election had been a pivotal moment for the party and Rustad’s efforts to create what he called a “big tent” party.
A CTV News report following the December 10 caucus meeting concluded: “On Tuesday afternoon, the group filed out of the caucus meeting for a family photo on the back steps of the legislature – with any caucus tensions left behind closed doors.”
Sakoma-Fadugba will be holding a Townhall Series meeting this afternoon (November 12, 4 pm). The zoom invitation says:
Join Comfort Sakoma for an inspiring and interactive virtual town hall as we work toward reclaiming Canada’s future. This is your chance to engage in a bold conversation about the issues that matter most: Faith, Parental Rights, Canadian Heritage, Values and Freedom of Speech.
She tweeted “my response to Elenore Sturko and her defiance of Party Leader John Rustad’s advice to meet with me” December 12 in the morning.