Mass shootings share 'sketchy stories,' B.C. Conservative candidate claims in resurfaced social post
Embattled B.C. Conservative candidate Brent Chapman is under fire once again, this time for past Facebook comments casting doubt on the official accounts of mass shooting events in Canada and the U.S.
The latest resurfaced social media remarks from Chapman, who is running in the Surrey South riding, date back to February 2017, days after the Quebec City mosque shooting that left six people dead and five others seriously injured.
Screenshots shared by CKNW radio host Jas Johal on Sunday show Chapman referring to "mass shootings" in quotation marks, and suggesting all mass shootings reported over recent years share "sketchy stories that change drastically from initial events."
“Why did Aurora, Sandy Hook and Quebec City all have witnesses that saw multiple shooters and are, ultimately, ignored by police and legacy media?” he wrote.
"Look, I really hope no one was actually killed at any of these events but in the Orlando night club shooting, the people that talked to the press were not actually shot.”
In response to the latest Chapman controversy, the B.C. NDP reiterated calls for the B.C. Conservatives to cut ties with the candidate.
"Last night, we learned that John Rustad’s candidate Brent Chapman has denied the reality of horrific mass shootings," leader David Eby said in a statement Monday.
"These tragedies shattered lives… Rustad should have fired this candidate days ago for his openly racist and homophobic comments. He must fire him today."
The B.C. Conservative leader was asked about the latest controversy at an unrelated campaign event Monday, and called Chapman's comments "offensive" and "wrong."
Rustad said it would be "inappropriate" to respond further, however, as the candidate had "retained legal advice." He previously said voters can judge Conservative candidates at the ballot box.
Chapman addressed the backlash over his remarks around a quarter past midnight, acknowledging the mass shootings he referenced in his post – including the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed 26 people, including 20 children – were "all very real."
"What I was trying to say is the whirlwind of U.S. media and commentary makes everything chaotic and confusing to people watching the TV. People’s understanding of what’s going on changes from moment to moment and it’s all just so difficult to understand," he added.
Chapman said he will no longer comment on "this matter or any other matter related to social media posts from years ago,” on the advice of his lawyer.
Chapman has been on the defensive since last week, when Johal shared other years-old screenshots of the candidate making racist remarks about Muslims and Palestinians. He responded with a lengthy apology to voters, in which he stressed that his comments "do not reflect who I am today or the respect and admiration I hold for the Palestinian and Muslim communities."
- Compare platforms from B.C.’s three biggest political parties
- Get important information on casting your ballot in B.C.
- See which candidates are running in your riding
- View live election results beginning at 8 p.m. on voting day
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live election results: Results pour in as votes counted in key battleground states
More than half of states across the country have closed their polls as voters wait to see whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will win the 2024 election.
Trump and Harris rack up early wins as America awaits battleground results
Former U.S. president Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris notched early wins in reliably Republican and Democratic states, respectively, as a divided America made its decision in a stark choice for the nation's future Tuesday.
Who's going to win? The election prediction roundup
Outlets across the United States have been crunching numbers, parsing polls and working their magic models to predict the outcome of Tuesday’s presidential election.
How exit polls work and what they will tell us on election night
Exit polls are a set of surveys that ask voters whom they voted for, as well as additional questions about their political opinions, the factors they considered in the election and their own backgrounds more broadly.
These swing states will likely decide the U.S. presidential election
These swing states will most likely determine the path to the presidency, with candidates needing to win some combination of votes to get them across the 270 mark to secure a majority.
Lamborghini driver who crashed into parked cars while trying to pass streetcar sentenced to prison
A mortgage broker who totalled his Lamborghini and left a passenger with life-altering injuries after trying to pass a Toronto streetcar at nearly three times the speed limit has been handed a two-and-a-half year prison sentence.
Ben Affleck had this to say about his ex, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck may be going through a divorce, but it sounds like things are amicable.
B.C. RCMP say drunk driver crashed SUV then switched seats with passenger – who crashed again
Two drunk women crashed the same SUV into the same parked car in the same motel parking lot in Prince George, B.C., last week, according to police.
Hoax bomb threats linked to Russia target polling places in U.S. battleground states, FBI says
Hoax bomb threats, many of which appeared to originate from Russian email domains, were directed on Tuesday at polling locations in four battleground states - Georgia, Michigan, Arizona and Wisconsin - as U.S. election day voting was underway, the FBI said.