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BC conservatives have ousted the MLA over comments on housing schools. Two more MLAs remain in solidarity

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BC Conservatives have expelled MLA Dallas Brodie of Caucus over comments she made about housing schools.

BC Leader John Rastad’s Conservative Party said he “unwelcome” returning to the Caucus using “ock haha, kid-like voice” when talking about testimony from a residential school student during a podcast interview and after leaving a meeting on issues on March 6th.

“As a result of her decision to publicly laugh and disregard an individual who mimics abuse stories of abuse, including child sexual abuse, MLA Brody does not welcome her back to the BC Caucus Conservative Party,” Rastad said in a statement on March 6th.

Rastad said Brody, who represents the riding in Vancouver Kirchenna, had “challenge” the party to fire her by asking for a vote to remove her.

“I strongly believe in freedom of speech, but using your height and platform as an MLA and laughing at testimony from victims claiming abuse is where I draw the line,” he said.

BC Conservative leader John Rastad speaks to reporters following his throne speech in Victorian Parliament on February 18, 2025 (Canadian Press/Chad Hipolit)

BC Conservative leader John Rastad will speak to reporters following his throne speech in Victoria’s Legislature on February 18, 2025. Canadian media/Chad Hipolit

In a March 3 podcast interview hosted by former Mount Royal University professor Francis Widowson in Calgary, Brody spoke about the backlash she received after posting comments about a case of challenging the BC Law Society on lawyers’ school training materials.

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Brody is critical of the large-scale claims of severity found on residential school sites, saying there is no evidence to confirm the report.

“The number of confirmed child burials on the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site is zero,” she said in a February 22nd post on X Platform, adding, “No one should be afraid of the truth.”
In May 2021, Tk’emlúps Te Secwépemc First Nations said it had discovered the bodies of 215 children at the Kamloops residential school site using ground penetration radar.
In a March 4 letter to the BC Law Society, Brodie called for changes to the materials used in the mandatory Indigenous course for lawyers, including the content of the site. Brody said the findings of the Kamloops residential school were abnormal and the cemetery was not confirmed.
In her March 3 interview, she said Rastad asked her to remove the post because “people are upset.”

She said she received many hateful messages accordingly. “It’s not easy to call these names,” she said.

She also spoke on the podcast about fellow conservative MLAs of Aaliyah Warbus, a member of Sto:Lo Nation, and A’aliyah Warbus, a House leader.

Critics of Brodie, Warbus is seeking support from former residential students.

“Let yourself know, get the latest facts, investigate and talk to survivors. To question the stories of those who lived and survived these atrocities is harmful and nothing more than a retreat to us to reconciliation,” Wurbas wrote in a February 24th post.
In a March 7 post on X Platform, Brody said, “I told the truth because it matters. I’ll never come back from that.”

She continued, “It is an indisputable fact that there are zero bodies discovered in Kamloops.”

In an interview with the podcast, Brody said she received support from within the party.

“I’m going to say there are probably nearly 20 people who’ve spoken separately to me.”

MLAS Vacation

Shortly after Brodie was kicked out of the party on March 7th, fellow conservative MLAS Jordan Kealy and Tara Armstrong announced they would leave the party in solidarity with Brodie.

“The party has created an environment in which so-called “conservatives” want to throw insults cheaper than dealing with the facts. There was no apology or accountability. I have refused to stand with people who have validated or ignored such actions,” Kelly said.

He said he would form a new party, noting that the party could gain official positions with two members.

Armstrong also said she would leave as the conservative MLA was elected to stand up “for the right thing, regardless of the cost.”

“Our companies are strangled by taxes, tariffs and hostile interests within the settlement industry,” Armstrong said. “I never needed more courage and truth than I did today.”



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