Dallas Brodie, the BC Conservative Party candidate for Vancouver-Quilchena, stirred up a reaction Thursday for doubling down on her commentary on First Nations people living in the Downtown Eastside, the country’s poorest neighbourhood with ubiquitous open drug use.
At an all-candidates meeting, hosted by the Dunbar Residents’ Association, BC NDP candidate Callista Ryan said Brodie had made controversial comments on First Nations people living in the Downtown Eastside on a podcast on Oct. 11, 2020.
The comments were shared in a leaked research paper on BC Conservative candidates, reported to have originated from the now-defunct BC United Party.
Brodie claimed First Nations bands need to better support their members in the Downtown Eastside and “don't just make Vancouver your dumping ground. Come and take your citizens.”
“What I said on a podcast some time ago is that I believe, when people say they want to be First Nations — they want autonomy, they want to be treated on an equal basis, on equal footing; not parental, not being looked down on upon and governed over — that they now take on, with those rights of being a First Nation, there comes responsibilities. And when a large percentage of your people are on the Downtown Eastside, it’s important that you come take responsibility for that piece as well. It’s not OK to leave your people dying,” said Brodie in a time-limited response.
After the comment, Musqueam Indian Band member Wade Grant, who is vying for the open Liberal Party of Canada nomination in Vancouver-Quadra, took to X.com to criticize Brodie.
In an interview Friday, Grant told Glacier Media: “It's very frightening that somebody that has these beliefs is wanting to represent Vancouver-Quilchena, which has Musqueam First Nation in it and will be representing 1,400 First Nations people. And to be able to say something like that is very disheartening not only to myself, but the entire community.”
Brodie responded to Glacier Media:
"I was not given the opportunity to conclude my remarks, as I was cut off. Life expectancy for Indigenous People is dropping faster than any other group. This is in large part due to the drug crisis that is killing their people. We, as a government, need to work with First Nations to achieve reconciliation by helping Indigenous people who are suffering from addiction get into housing and treatment. We need to take action to heal this generational trauma.
Under our platform, we will work with Indigenous leaders to develop treatment and recovery programs that are available within First Nations communities. Individuals undergoing treatment for health challenges, including addiction, should have the option of receiving the support they need close to home, in a familiar and culturally appropriate environment."
Grant noted First Nations people are disproportionately represented on the Downtown Eastside. He said Brodie’s comments ignore the past and how far we’ve come in recognizing intergenerational trauma and decades of colonization that have created an environment where First Nations are still trying to catch up.
Asked if the Musqueam do feel a particularly greater onus for members outside their land, regardless, Grant said: “Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish have actually shared the sentiment it’s not just our own community members, and as host First Nation we recognize that First Nations from across the province have citizens that have made their way down there, and we recognize that and as the hosts we want to ensure that if someone is looking for their community member, we do our best to help them in any way, because we share the same sort of experiences as they do. So, we do know that when somebody is lost or missing or is looking for help, we do band together as a community, as we've done since time immemorial.”
Grant, who worked for the BC Liberals (BC United) as executive assistant to the Solicitor General of British Columbia, said Brodie’s comments are part of what he deems a concerning trend among the BC Conservative Party on First Nations relations.
NDP Leader David Eby called Brodie "ignorant" for her remarks while Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau said it was a "failure" by B.C. Conservatives leader John Rustad Rustad not to ditch Brodie and Surrey South candidate Brent Chapman, who apologized this week for calling Palestinian children "inbred" and "time bombs" on social media.
On Friday, Rustad said it will be up to voters to judge his party's candidates.
“We have candidates who have said a number of things and represent their ridings, and it will be up to the people in the ridings to elect them," he said.
Brodie faces Ryan and Green Party of B.C. candidate Michael Burkasky in the riding that was vacated by former BC United leader Kevin Falcon, who capitulated to the BC Conservatives in late August.
The riding has traditionally leaned right-of-centre and has acted as a stronghold for the BC Liberal/BC United political party.
Brodie ran for the BC Conservatives in the 2022 byelection, garnering 698 total votes, or 6.6 per cent of the vote, having spent a relatively large sum of $33,166 on her campaign.
Brodie’s party profile claims she “pursued further studies at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Law” and initially focused on corporate and securities law in the early 1990s before turning to broadcasting and then becoming an arbitrator at the B.C. Residential Tenancy branch.
With a file from Canadian Press
This article was edited Oct.12 to include Brodie's response
