“There is no place in the public discourse for this kind of racism and misinformation.” – Grand Chief Jerry Daniels.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 28, 2024
ANISHINAABE AND DAKOTA TERRITORY, MB — Today the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) is calling on the British Columbia Conservative Party to discipline one of its’ candidates in the provincial election by removing her from the party following her shocking and reprehensible remarks about Indigenous peoples.
“I am appalled, shocked, and deeply saddened after reading what this candidate had to say about all our relatives across Turtle Island,” said SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. “She should never have been chosen as a candidate for any public office. I call on the leadership of the B.C. Conservative Party to do what’s right and denounce her words and her candidacy. “
In published reports it was revealed Marina Sapozhnikov labelled Indigenous people as “savages” and condemned Indigenous history courses taught in B.C. universities. Her comments were reportedly made during an interview with a Vancouver Island University student on election night in BC earlier this month. Sapozhnikov goes on to denounce the incumbent provincial government’s adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDRIP), falsely saying recognition of Indigenous rights has turned non-Indigenous British Columbians into “second-rate citizens.”
Sapozhnikov is running for MLA representing the Conservative Party of BC in the riding of Juan de Fuca-Malahat on Vancouver Island. Her bio on the Conservative Party of British Columbia’s main website is headlined with “A Resilient Journey to Healing Communities” and hails her as having a “deep-rooted commitment to the well-being of communities”. Her election night comments show these claims simply not to be true.
“This candidate’s interpretation of First Nations’ history is wrong; it is false and misleading. There is no room at any table for a person who carries these beliefs,” added Grand Chief Daniels. “I am proud to join First Nation leadership in what is now B.C. and appeal to Conservative Party Leader John Rustad to do what is right and take away any public platform for Ms. Sapozhnikov to spew her hateful words and ideas.”
As governments apologize for their treatment of First Nations people and work together on Truth and Reconciliation, it is counter-intuitive for the Conservative Party of BC to support a history denier, a racist, and give her a platform to voice her hate. This is not the path to reconciliation and reveals just how much work still needs to be done.
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The Southern Chiefs’ Organization represents 33 First Nations and more than 87,000 citizens in what is now called southern Manitoba. SCO is an independent political organization that protects, preserves, promotes, and enhances First Nations peoples’ inherent rights, languages, customs, and traditions through the application and implementation of the spirit and intent of the Treaty-making process.
For media inquiries:
Email: Media@scoinc.mb.ca