A staff member of the British Columbia Conservative Party was terminated after making derogatory remarks about the orange Survivors’ flag, which pays tribute to survivors of residential schools, on social media. Lindsay Shepherd, who previously served as a communications officer for the B.C. Conservative caucus, faced backlash following her comments on a social media platform last week.
During a ceremony on the front steps of the legislature in Victoria, various NDP, Conservative, and Green MLAs raised the Survivors’ flag in preparation for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30. Shortly after the event, Shepherd posted on social media criticizing the flag and an orange shirt associated with it, calling them misleading symbols perpetuating false narratives about Canadian history.
Although Shepherd promptly deleted her post, a screenshot was shared by Rohini Arora, an NDP MLA, leading to widespread condemnation of her statements. Arora praised the decision to dismiss Shepherd and commended Conservative MLAs who spoke out against intolerance within their party. Shepherd later confirmed that B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad terminated her employment due to the controversial social media post.
The termination came after Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs urged Rustad to take action against Shepherd for her remarks, describing them as shocking and racist. Former B.C. Green MLA Adam Olsen also condemned the comments, labeling them as vile and toxic behavior.
The incident stemmed from the discovery in May 2021 by the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation of potential unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. This finding triggered a nationwide movement as Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous Canadians began to acknowledge the atrocities committed in residential schools.
