Vancouver councillor quits NPA, citing concerns over party's shift to 'far right'
Credit to Author: Dan Fumano| Date: Sat, 07 Dec 2019 03:36:23 +0000
Vancouver Coun. Rebecca Bligh has quit the Non-Partisan Association, citing concerns over what she described as a shift to the “far right” with the party’s newly elected executive.
At last week’s NPA annual general meeting, the party membership elected a board of directors that included a former correspondent with the far right media outlet The Rebel and members endorsed by a socially conservative organization that opposed SOGI, a resource to help B.C. schools be more inclusive of LGBTQ students.
“I think it’s quite clear that the NPA board and executive has swung quite far over to the right, particularly the affiliation with the anti-SOGI movement,” Bligh said by phone on Friday.
“As the only queer elected official with the NPA, I feel the party no longer represents or supports my choices, my identity, and everybody that believes in inclusion,” she said. “So it became a difficult, but very clear decision.”
Asked last week about the new board while she was at a convention in Ottawa, she said it was too early to comment: “I will have more to say about the board upon my return from Ottawa.”
Bligh has spoken with the four remaining NPA councillors about her resignation from the party, she said, adding: “They support my decision, and they understand my decision.”
She also said there are other NPA board members she knows who also support her decision, ones are socially progressive.
“We were waiting to see what would happen at the first AGM (after last year’s election), and it was quite clear that there has been a takeover of the board to the far right,” Bligh said. “And there’s no ounce of me that can remain there.”
Two new members of the NPA board, Phyllis Tang and Ray Goldenchild, ran unsuccessfully against the NPA for rival parties in last year’s election. Both were endorsed by the Let’s Vote Association, an organization describing itself as “pro-family, pro-life and pro-parental rights.”
That affiliation caused concern for Bligh, she said.
At the first meeting of the new NPA board earlier this week, both Tang and Goldenchild were elected to executive positions: Tang as treasurer and Goldenchild as secretary.
Bligh also sent a statement by email Friday evening, saying: “As with any organization as old, large and diverse as the Non-Partisan Association, there will be times when there are conflicting values and social-political opinions in the membership … At the same time, it is important to note that there is a clear line between the elected NPA caucus and the new NPA board.”