People's Party of Canada flyer distributed in Vancouver compares vaccine passports to residential school system
The B.C. Assembly of First Nations is calling for the removal of a People's Party of Canada candidate in Vancouver over a flyer comparing vaccine passports to the residential school system.
The flyer was distributed to homes in the riding of Vancouver-Quadra, and features a picture taken at a residential school in the 1800s on the front with the words "DISCRIMINATION IS WRONG" and "NO VACCINE PASSPORT."
The other side contains information about PPC candidate Renate Siekmann and misinformation related to COVID-19.
Asked for comment, Siekmann referred CTV News to her Twitter feed, where she doubled down on her decision to distribute the flyer. "This analogy may make some uncomfortable or angry but this is a hard and important conversation to have," she wrote, adding that approximately 52,000 flyers had gone out
On Wednesday afternoon, the BCAFN called on Siekmann's party to remove her as a candidate.
“Claiming that a public health measure, such as a vaccine passport, is somehow comparable or equivalent to violent and genocidal practices is harmful and repugnant," BCAFN Regional Chief Terry Teegee wrote in a statement.
Carey Newman, the artist who created the Witness Blanket, a national monument made in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Committee's findings that the residential school system amounted to cultural genocide, told CTV News the campaign material is "offensive."
"Anything that invokes residential schools as a comparison to inconvenience fails to recognize the fundamental difference between being asked to get vaccinated or wear a mask to protect each other, and being forcibly removed from your home, family and culture," Newman said in a statement.
He added that Indigenous people survived the 1918 pandemic and small pox and so know the importance of protecting the collective well-being.
"Our lives are overlapping and our actions have implications for others. When those actions result actual harms and death, we have the responsibility not to let our own wants infringe upon the health and freedoms of others," Newman said.
Jennifer Malcolm, who lives in Vancouver, contacted CTV News after receiving the pamphlet. She called the content "bigoted" and "upsetting." Another woman said it was disturbing and offensive.
The flyer was distributed amid a new upswell of grief and anger over Canada's residential school system. The discovery of unmarked graves on a number of former school sites confirmed what Indigenous communities knew for years: that many of the children who were forced to attend never returned home.
The Vancouver-Quadra riding stretches from the University of British Columbia to Arbutus Street, and from Point Grey to Vancouver International Airport. It also includes the Musqueam Indian Band.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blockade briefly stops Pride Parade in downtown Winnipeg
A group of protesters briefly blocked the Winnipeg Pride Parade on Sunday.
Trump says he's 'OK' with serving potential jail time or house arrest after historic conviction
Former U.S. president Donald Trump said he is 'OK' with serving potential jail time or being under house arrest following his historic conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Ryan Reynolds has declared 'War of the Popcorn Buckets.' He's honestly onto something
Ryan Reynolds this week unveiled arguably the most anticipated and sure-to-be coveted merchandise tied to his upcoming 'Deadpool' sequel: the movie’s novelty popcorn bucket.
Ontario gave parents more than $1B in cash over 2 years. Here's where the money went
During the pandemic, the Ontario government started to hand out cash to parents to help offset the cost of at-home learning while schools were shuttered.
Do this once a month and extend your life by up to 10 years. No gym required
Research shows that art experiences, whether as a maker or a beholder, transform our biology by rewiring our brains and triggering the release of neurochemicals, hormones and endorphins.
'There could have been an explosion,' 8 people, including 4 children injured in St. Constant, Que.
Eight people, including four children, have second- or third-degree burns as a result of an incident at a home in Saint-Constant, Que. south of Montreal, the Coopérative des techniciens ambulanciers de la Montérégie (CETAM) reported on Saturday.
Bathroom break nearly derails $22 million project at city council meeting
A brief break during Wednesday's city council meeting in Saskatoon nearly cost the city dearly.
One dead, 26 wounded in overnight shooting in Ohio: reports
A shooting on a street in Akron, Ohio, killed one man and wounded 26 other people early Sunday morning, according to reports by local news outlets.
North Korea says it will stop sending trash balloons as South Korea vows strong retaliation
South Korea said Sunday it’ll soon take retaliatory steps against North Korea over its launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border and other provocations.