B.C. Conservative candidate dropped by party over social media posts

B.C. Conservative Party candidate Joachim Agou, who was running in Victoria-Beacon Hill, has been kicked from the party over social media posts the NDP called racist.

Screenshots of Agou’s account, which has since been deleted, showed in one post him responding to a video of a car ramming through a pro-Palestine protest, saying the driver “should have reversed” over demonstrators.

“These are not just words, these are not just remarks,” said Amna Shah, NDP MLA candidate for Surrey City Centre.

“They hurt everyday British Columbians. They hurt people in my community.”

In a press conference Thursday, Interim Leader Lorne Doerkson said he wasn’t aware of the comments.

“The reality is, I haven’t seen these posts or these allegations, and trust me when I say this, I will be looking into it as soon as I leave this podium,” Doerkson said.

Later, he addressed the issue in a statement, saying, “There is no excuse for this. I will not tolerate it. The candidate in Victoria-Beacon Hill is no longer a Conservative candidate. If elected, he will not serve in the Caucus.”

However, questions swirl about whether the candidate was ever vetted in the first place.

“This is the bare minimum, but there needs to be more done to completely eliminate that type of hatred from their caucus,” Shah said.

Meanwhile, on the campaign trail, affordability remained a talking point Thursday, with Leader David Eby standing alongside B.C. NDP candidates in Steveston sharing his party’s plans to keep ICBC rates frozen for an additional three years if re-elected, adding to the already seven years of frozen rates.

“At a time when costs are going up in so many different areas, to know that whether you’re a young person or a business owner or anybody else dependent on a vehicle, to know that your costs are going to stay the same on car insurance is meaningful,” Eby said.

On the topic of the economy, Doerkson, who had previously pledged his government would not raise or introduce new taxes if elected, went a step further, promising his party would commit to a $1,000 tax cut for British Columbians.

“Under our affordability plan, British Columbians will not have to pay a single dime of provincial income tax on their first $32,000 in earnings, that puts $1,000 right back where it belongs: in your pocket, not in the government’s.”

At the same time, BC Green Party Leader Emily Lowan tackled a different priority Thursday, outlining the party’s education plans. Lowan committed to closing the funding gaps in schools across the province if elected, going on to promise a full-time counsellor in every school and a universal school lunch program.

“We know that when students have the wrap-around supports that they need to learn and thrive, they will, but right now Premier Eby is failing our children.”

This marks the halfway point in the provincial election campaign, with the Oct. 24 date fast approaching.