Vancouver Sun

LIBERAL CANDIDATE RESIGNS

`Eugenics' comment sparks outrage

- DERRICK PENNER

Chilliwack politician Laurie Throness, who sparked controvers­y with his conservati­ve social views, has stepped down as the B.C. Liberal candidate for Chilliwack-Kent.

He resigned after his latest comments — comparing an NDP campaign promise of free contracept­ion to eugenics — touched off a round of condemnati­on, including among his own party colleagues.

B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson announced Throness' resignatio­n on Thursday during a campaign stop in Coquitlam, where he said the comments “were completely wrong,” and “not in keeping with the values of the B.C. Liberal party.”

“Laurie Throness has accepted that his comments were wrong and inappropri­ate,” Wilkinson said in a brief statement.

“It was clear that he couldn't continue to be part of the B.C. Liberal team. The B.C. Liberal party is dedicated to a diversity of perspectiv­es, but all party members are dedicated to inclusiven­ess and equality — that's not up for debate.”

Throness' name, however, will remain on the ballot in Chilliwack-Kent and listed under the B.C. Liberals, since the deadline for candidate registrati­ons has passed.

During a virtual all-candidates meeting in his constituen­cy on Wednesday, Throness said he didn't feel free prescripti­on contracept­ion, as promised by the NDP, was a priority.

“The other thing that I feel about this is that it contains a whiff of the old eugenics thing where, you know, poor people shouldn't have babies,” he said.

“So, we can't force them to have contracept­ion, so we'll give it to them for free, and maybe they'll have fewer babies, so there will be fewer poor people in the future.”

Eugenics is the widely condemned belief that the genetic quality of a human population can be improved by discouragi­ng people and groups judged to be inferior from having children, while promoting procreatio­n by those deemed to be superior.

Throness' statement sparked outrage.

Selina Robinson, NDP candidate for Coquitlam-Maillardvi­lle, called on Wilkinson to “finally put his foot down and fire Laurie Throness.”

“As long as Mr. Wilkinson permits this kind of behaviour, this kind of attitude to sit around his table, then absolutely (the party is) a comfortabl­e place for these kinds of beliefs and these kinds of attitudes,” Robinson said.

Throness has also been criticized for advertisin­g in a religious publicatio­n considered homophobic and transphobi­c by the LGBTQ community, for appearing to support the condemned practice of socalled conversion therapy, and for appearing at anti-abortion rallies.

On Thursday, however, Wilkinson led a chorus of his candidates in condemning Throness' latest statement on Twitter, a chorus that grew through the day.

Wilkinson declared Throness' position “wrong, and against my position as leader of this party.”

“Let's be clear, I support government providing free contracept­ion to anyone in B.C. who wants it,” the leader tweeted.

He was quickly joined by high-profile Richmond- Queensboro­ugh Liberal candidate Jas Johal, who said the comments were “appalling,” and “don't represent B.C. Liberal values.”

Kamloops- South Thompson Liberal candidate Todd Stone said he supported free contracept­ion and “the repugnant views made by Laurie Throness do not match my values,” a sentiment echoed by his Kamloops-North Thompson colleague Peter Milobar.

B.C. Green party Leader Sonia Furstenau called Throness' statement “reprehensi­ble.”

She said Wilkinson's approach “sends entirely the wrong message” because it was only after his party “was backed into a corner did they take the weakest of actions” in letting Throness resign.

“He should have been expelled from the B.C. Liberal party,” Furstenau said.

NDP headquarte­rs followed up on Throness' resignatio­n, calling on Wilkinson to ditch the party's Langley-East candidate Margaret Kunst, who recently voted against installing a rainbow crosswalk in her community.

“If Laurie Throness can't be a candidate for the B.C. Liberals, why does Wilkinson still endorse Kunst?” reads a statement from the party.

 ??  ??
 ?? B. C. LIBERaLS ?? Laurie Throness is no stranger to controvers­y. He's come under fire in the past for advertisin­g in a publicatio­n considered homophobic by the LGBTQ community, for appearing to support conversion therapy, and for appearing at anti-abortion rallies.
B. C. LIBERaLS Laurie Throness is no stranger to controvers­y. He's come under fire in the past for advertisin­g in a publicatio­n considered homophobic by the LGBTQ community, for appearing to support conversion therapy, and for appearing at anti-abortion rallies.

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