BC NDP drops Van Ryswyk for racist comments

[jacee]

B.C. NDP candidate quits over racist remarks on 1st campaign day: Comments focus on First Nations, French-Canadians

The B.C. NDP dropped Kelowna-Mission candidate Dayleen Van Ryswyk on the first day of the provincial election campaign over controversial comments made on a local media website.

...

Some of Van Ryswyk's comments take aim at First Nations.

"Its not the status cards, its the fact that we have been paying out of the nose for generations for something that isnt our doing, reads one post on Castanet, an Okanagan area website. If their ancestors sold out too cheap its not my fault and I shouldnt have to be paying for any mistake or whatever you want to call it from my hard-earned money."

The posts also take aim at the French-Canadian community.

"Seems the only group of people universally hated around the world other than the Americans are the French and French-Canadians. The bigots are the French and not us", the blog reads.

"Im getting so sick of having French stuffed down my throat. This isnt Quebec. Its western Canada. We speak English here. Why are we forced to have it at our western Canadian hosted Olympics."

It seems both the Liberals and NDP find these sentiments inappropriate for a political representative.

I am curious what others think: Is it ever appropriate for any politicians to hold these views and to represent these views of their constituents?

Edited April 17, 2013 by jacee

[Wilber]

I guess they can hold whatever views they want and if they get elected, so be it. They just can't express them and expect to represent a major party.

There always seems to be one or two who slip through every election

[Sleipnir]

I really don't see how it was racist to make those comments. I mean, it not like he was saying 'aboriginal people are diseased' or anything.

[jacee]

I really don't see how it was racist to make those comments. I mean, it not like he was saying 'aboriginal people are diseased' or anything.

Do you think First Nations people and French Canadians are finding her comments offensive, hurtful, hateful, prejudiced, racist?

Edited April 17, 2013 by jacee

[Sleipnir]

Do you think First Nations people and French Canadians are finding her comments offensive, hurtful, hateful, prejudiced, racist?

Hurtful? Yes. Racist? No.

[jacee]

Hurtful? Yes. Racist? No.

Hurtful ... yes.

Prejudiced?

Discrimination against all members of the race-ethnicity?

Hate speech?

Edited April 17, 2013 by jacee

[Sleipnir]

Hurtful ... yes.

1) Discrimination against all members of the race-ethnicity?

2) Hate speech?

1) Well technically the term 'French' and 'Aboriginals' are not race-based.

2) Hate speech? Implying all French are bigots, can indeed, be called hate speech.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Sleipnir

[jacee]

1) Well technically the term 'French' and 'Aboriginals' are not race-based.

2) Hate speech? Implying all French are bigots, can indeed, be called hate speech.

I wonder if there is a political party in Canada for low life prejudiced morons like her.

I mean ... who does that!

[Shakeyhands]

Well Jacee, "There's A's and there's B's. The A's are guys like me, the B's are homosexual faggots with dirt under their fingernails that transmit diseases." I think there may be a party that does this.

So there's that.

[Guest]

I wonder if there is a political party in Canada for low life prejudiced morons like her.

I mean ... who does that!

The BC NDP, apparently...

[jacee]

The BC NDP, apparently...

Apparently not.

Think some other party will pick her up?

Edited April 17, 2013 by jacee

[Guest]

The Greens?

[jacee]

The Greens?

Maybe the Cons?

But I doubt it.

I think she's taken her last crack at politics.

[Signals.Cpl]

Wasent there a thread about the conservatives forcing their MPs to toe the party line? People seemed pissed off about that but suddenly a MPP expressing their opinion is kicked out of the NDP for not following the NDP talking points...

[Canuckistani]

Wasent there a thread about the conservatives forcing their MPs to toe the party line? People seemed pissed off about that but suddenly a MPP expressing their opinion is kicked out of the NDP for not following the NDP talking points...

there's no party that would keep this person. Too easy to sling allegations of racism. This is stuff you can only say anonymously, and she made the mistake of oouting herself. Edited April 17, 2013 by Canuckistani

[Signals.Cpl]

there's no party that would keep this person. Too easy to sling allegations of racism.

What if this person represented the feelings/opinions of their constituents? I'm not saying they do or do not speak for their constituents in this case just asking a hypotheical what if the majority of the constituents agreed with those statements and those statements were made because of interaction between the candidate and the people?

[Canuckistani]

Well, they're not opinions the NDP or any party can avow. In fact the NDP is probably diametrically opposed to them, so she's not a good fit for the party.

[Signals.Cpl]

So if you dont follow the party line 100% of the time you cant be in the NDP even if you agree with 90% of their message? So basicly its all or nothing here...

[Canuckistani]

Pretty big thing to disagree on. I mean are you saying a holocaust denier who's otherwise in tune with a party's policies should be allowed to stay? Not that I think she's all that wrong, or anything equivalent to a holocaust denier, but it all gets played the same way in the media - racist.

[Signals.Cpl]

Pretty big thing to disagree on. I mean are you saying a holocaust denier who's otherwise in tune with a party's policies should be allowed to stay? Not that I think she's all that wrong, or anything equivalent to a holocaust denier, but it all gets played the same way in the media - racist.

What would happen if the conservatives at federal level or any of the provinces were to do soemthign similar? Essentialy kick someone out for similar reasons? There was an outcry because they silenced some who wanted to reopen the abortion debate and thus the conservatives were seen as oppressive etc... but the NDP somehow is right to kick out a candidate for disagreeing with the party line?

[Canuckistani]

Didn't Wildrose kick out somebody in the last election? Any party would do this - you just want to make it all about the NDP.

[Signals.Cpl]

No, I want to compare how an MP being silenced because of his views on abortion is a cause to attack the Federal conservative party but a MPP candidate being kicked out for potentially representing the views of the people. I couldn't care less about this incident if it wasn't for people trying to make it sound like the conservatives were doing something no other part does...ever.

[jacee]

there's no party that would keep this person.

That's my feeling too.

I don't think any party wants to represent those views, at least not publicly.

[jacee]

No, I want to compare how an MP being silenced because of his views on abortion is a cause to attack the Federal conservative party but a MPP candidate being kicked out for potentially representing the views of the people. I couldn't care less about this incident if it wasn't for people trying to make it sound like the conservatives were doing something no other part does...ever.

I think we're agreed that any party would not want to represent these views.

[Wayne McQ.]

Do you think First Nations people and French Canadians are finding her comments offensive, hurtful, hateful, prejudiced, racist?

Let's turn this around. While I don't condone her ignorant comments and would never vote for her, I'm happy she let us all know what a bigot she is before we go to the polls. As for feeling offended, hurt , and prejugdiced against I'm wondering how the English speaking people in Quebec feel when the province has actually passed legislation that virtually makes the English language illegal, yet Ottawa and the ROC sits by and does absolutely nothing to stop this discrimination. Canada is supposedly a bilingual country yet Quebec and parts of NB gets to opt out, talk about injustice! NB is basically bankrupt, the English and many French speaking NBers are packing up and leaving yet they are still wasting $Millions on the failed concept of bilingualism, because in NB the Francophones no longer wants just bilingualism, they want duality throughout the whole of NB.