Following harsh criticism for "hateful" comments she made about First Nations and French-speaking Canadians in a community blog, a candidate for the B.C. New Democrats in Kelowna-Mission has been forced to resign, NDP Leader Adrian Dix said in a statement Tuesday.
Dayleen Van Ryswyk was quoted saying on the Castanet community forum that Canadians have been "paying out the nose for generations" for First Nations, and that "if their ancestors sold out too cheap it’s not my fault," the B.C. Liberal Party said in a Tuesday news release.
"Earlier today, I was made aware of unacceptable comments made by Kelowna-Mission NDP candidate Dayleen van Ryswyk. I have accepted Ms. Van Ryswyk’s resignation," Dix said in a brief statement.
Check out how Twitter reacted to Van Ryswyk's comments:
More from the Canadian Press:
On the forum in 2009, a user named Dayleen wrote in a thread entitled "Strip Them of the Status Card."
“It’s not the status cards, it’s the fact that we have been paying out of the nose for generations for something that isn’t our doing. If their ancestors sold out too cheaply, it’s not my fault and I shouldn’t have to be paying for any mistake or whatever you want to call it from MY hard earned money.”
In another thread on the same forum, the same user identifies herself as Van Ryswyk, a 2011 candidate for Kelowna city council. Her candidacy in that race is noted on her NDP campaign website.
At his first campaign event of the morning, Dix said he didn't know anything about the comments.
"I haven't seen that but obviously we'll take a look at it," he said.
Van Ryswyk could not be reached for comment.
Another one of the posts compares the benefits afforded to aboriginal people with claims other abused groups could be making.
"I don't think anyone is saying that wrongs didn't happen (incredible wrongs). You could have almost any race, group or ethnic people tell you horrible haunting stories of what happened to them. If someone did me wrong, it's my right to sue ... as it is everyone else's.
"Again, how many Jewish, Polish, Russian, Dutch, etc. walked into a gas chamber, were gunned down, raped, tortured and starved to death. . . tell me how many Germans do you know that are handing over a (portion) of their paycheck EVERY month for what happened NOT very long ago. . . "
The Kelowna-Mission riding is held by Forests Minister Steve Thomson, who won the riding handily in 2009.
As Clark began her campaign with a rally in Victoria, she called the election the "most important election in modern history."
"It's a choice that will define our province for another generation."
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