Some of B.C. Conservative leader's critic picks questioned
Concern also raised about Conservative MLAs hanging on to local council seats
The sparring during question period in the legislature is largely driven by Opposition MLAs grilling government ministers, and with the B.C. Conservative party's rapid rise to Official Opposition, its MLAs will now get to set the tone.
But even before his first legislative session begins, some of the heat is instead on Leader John Rustad for some of his choices appointing critics to their Opposition portfolios.
Rustad is also on the defensive as the governing party reacts to the news that two of Rustad's MLAs will keep their seats on local councils, essentially doing two jobs.
Anna Kindy, a Campbell River-based physician and addictions specialist, has been tapped to be the party's health critic.
The NDP pounced on the appointment, pointing out Kindy has opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
"She's somebody who is a vaccine-skeptic who has previously spread misinformation about vaccines. She's donated to the Freedom convoy," said Amna Shah, the NDP MLA for Surrey City Centre.
Kindy argues she's not anti-vaxx but believes people should not lose their jobs if they choose not to get a medical procedure.
"I believe in bodily autonomy," she said. "I think the Freedom Convoy came as a pushback to mandates that were actually in some sense unreasonable. Do I regret doing this? No, I don't."
Kindy objects to the NDP characterizing her as far right, saying the governing party is using the term to divide people.
"In terms of my association with the far right, it's ridiculous," she said. "I'm not right-wing. I'm not left-wing. I'm just who I am. I look at every issue for itself. I think labels are dangerous."
"Voters are tired of the rhetoric," Kindy says, adding it distracts from the real issues like persistent emergency room closures and unacceptable cancer wait times.
"When you look at someone who is on the wait list for cancer surgery for months, they don't want to hear rhetoric; they want solutions," she said.
Rustad sending a message, poli-sci prof says
UBC political scientist Stewart Prest says Rustad is sending a statement with his critics' picks.
"So essentially, Mr. Rustad, with these appointments, is saying that the party is going to welcome a broad array of people on the right side of the political spectrum," Prest said.
Rustad has also created a new portfolio called parental rights and sports, to be led by Mandeep Dhaliwal.
The parental rights movement has opposed sexual orientation and gender identity policies, or SOGI, in schools.
SOGI 123 is not a curriculum but provides guides and resources to help teachers address discrimination and bullying, create supportive and inclusive environments for 2SLGBTQ+ students and acknowledge varying genders and sexual orientations.
The B.C. Conservatives campaigned on ending SOGI in schools, saying parents should have more of a say in what's taught to their children.
"It's one of the issues why the [former] education minister [Rachna Singh] was defeated by Mandeep Dhaliwal in Surrey [North]," Rustad says.
In April, Rustad proposed a private members bill that would force publicly funded sports teams to use "biological sex" to classify participants, effectively banning transgender athletes.
The bill was quickly voted down.
MLAs as councillors
Meanwhile, Rustad is also facing criticism this week for allowing two B.C. Conservative MLAs to keep their local government positions
The new MLA for Langley Walnut Grove, Misty Van Popta, will stay on as a councillor in Langley Township.
Korky Neufeld was elected for the B.C. Conservatives in Abbotsford West and will stay on as a school board trustee in Abbotsford.
The NDP and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's B.C. branch say taxpayers should not be paying the same politicians twice.
Darlene Ratchford is an NDP MLA who resigned from her council position in Esquimalt.
"Being an MLA is a full-time job. It's double dipping. It's not right," Ratchford says.
Rustad says he would have preferred that the MLAs resign from their local roles.
"If they do want to stay on local government, ultimately it's their decision to do that."
Rustad says he's recommended that the two MLAs donate the salaries from their local government positions.
CBC News asked Neufeld and Van Popta if they intend to do that but has not yet heard back.
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