By Spencer Hall
Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird, alongside 12 other BC Conservative MLAs, recently signed a letter addressed to party leader John Rustad outlining their concerns after fellow BC Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko called comments made by former Vancouver Police Board Vice Chair Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba “offensive”.
After her son was invited to participate at a school Diwali celebration, Sakoma-Fadugba made a post that in part read “the push for secular education isn’t about religion — it’s about erasing Christian values from the lives of our children…First, they’re participating in Diwali celebrations; next, they’re drawing parallels between Hindu values and Canadian ones. Before we know it, those values will be the new norm, and Hinduism could become the dominant cultural influence.”
The post continues with Sakoma-Fadugba claiming that “mass immigration without considering cultural integration, combined with a growing aversion to assimilation, are slowly transforming Canada into a place where a shared identity is disappearing.”
Despite her apparent stance on immigration, Sakoma-Fadugba herself immigrated to Canada from Nigeria at a young age.
She also alleged that the Christian community serves as Canada’s moral compass and criticized gender transition, claiming it creates a society that “pits children against their parents.”
Sakoma-Fadugba told CBC News she resigned from the Vancouver Police Board for personal reasons.
Sturko said the Vancouver Police Board was right to accept Sakoma-Fadugba’s resignation as her comments were “offensive” and eroded the public’s trust and comfort in their police system, making it harder on frontline police officers.
However, Bird and her fellow signatories say Sturko should have to apologize to Sakoma-Fadugba, who they believe to be a victim of cancel culture. In their letter, the MLAs say Sturko’s comments undermine the beliefs many conservatives hold when it comes to parental rights, religious faith, and the shared values of Canadians.
In their letter, they urged Rustad — who has previously denounced what he believes to be cancel culture when islamophobic comments surfaced from BC Conservative MLA Brent Chapman earlier this year — to defend Sakoma-Fadugba by inviting Sturko to write an apology letter and encourage the Vancouver Police Board to “advance conciliatory discussions” with the former vice chair.
If Sturko declines, the MLAs believe Rustad should write the letter on behalf of the BC Conservative caucus.
The irony here is that these MLAs decry cancel culture, yet demand an apology for a comment they disagree with.
When The Goat asked Bird about her thoughts on cancel culture, she declined to provide a comment.
So I’ll share my thoughts instead: there is a difference between cancel culture and being held accountable for what one says and does. Sakoma-Fadugba’s comments singled out vulnerable minorities and insinuated it is they who are at fault for what she perceives to be a downfall in Canadian society. While we have freedom of speech in Canada (she is not facing any legal repercussions such as fines or jail time for her statements) she is not free from the consequences of her statements.
Sakoma-Fadugba held a position of power at an organization that is meant to serve all citizens — not just cisgender Christian people who were born in Canada. Regardless if one sees truth in those comments, her position on the Vancouver Police Board is a major factor of why her resignation was necessary.
Public officials have a responsibility not to spread harmful and divisive rhetoric. When a public official makes posts such as Sakoma-Fadugba did on her social media pages, it’s impossible to differentiate if she’s speaking as a private citizen or from her position of power. Part of being a public official is that those two identities are intrinsically tied together. By making the comments she did, Sakoma-Fadugba violated her responsibility to the public and the Vancouver Police Board code of conduct, and that is why she had to resign.
