A Conservative Party of B.C candidate within a handful of votes of becoming MLA is said to have called First Nations "savages" in an election night interview.
As first reported by the Vancouver Sun, Marina Sapozhnikov, the party's candidate for Juan de Fuca Malahat, is said to have made the comment to Vancouver Island University student Alyona Latsinnik.
“They didn’t have any sophisticated laws," Sapozhnikov said in an audio clip available on the newspaper's site. "They were savages. They fought each other all the time.”
When Latsinnik pointed out that Europeans also fought each other all the time, Sapozhnikov acknowledged this aspect.
"But Europeans brought science here," Sapozhnikov said.
This exchange took place after Sapozhnikov had asked Latsinnik what she was studying. When Latsinnik said she was studying Indigenous affairs, Sapozhnikov questioned the veracity of what she was learning.
"They were hunters and gatherers," Sapozhnikov said. "They make some enlightened people. They didn't have writing. They didn't have alphabet."
When Latsinnik pushed back in calling Sapozhnikov's western-centric, Sapozhnikov doubled down.
"They teach you this. It's not true."
When asked what agenda universities were pursuing, Sapozhnikov said it part of a 'woke' agenda.
Sapozhnikov is currently awaiting the results of an automatic recount as she trails the B.C. NDP candidate in that riding by 20 votes. Sapozhnikov was among the first candidates announced by the party. Born in the former Soviet Union, Sapozhnikov works as a family doctor in the rural southern Vancouver Island area of Cobble Hill, according to the party's website.
"Marina Sapozhnikov's candidacy for the Conservative Party of BC in the Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding is a testament to her unwavering commitment to creating healthier and more vibrant communities," it reads.
Black Press Media has reached to B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad for comment. Rustad said in a statement that Sapozhnikov’s comments "appalled and deeply saddened” him. He said her “remarks do not reflect the values of our party or the vision we have for a united British Columbia, and we are taking this matter seriously.”
Rustad added that Sapozhnikov's comments "are not only inaccurate but profoundly harmful" and paint a "distorted picture of the communities I have worked alongside for many years."
Rustad, a former minister responsible for Indigenous Affairs, said he understands the "strength, resilience and vibrant culture of Indigenous peoples are vital" to the fabric of British Columbia. "These communities are not defined by stereotypes but by their courage and enduring contributions to our society."
The statement does not indicate that Rustad plans to let Sapozhnikov go, but concludes that "we are taking this matter seriously."
Sapozhnikov is not the first candidate to have generated controversy before and during the election campaign. Several other past and current candidates have caused controversy, most prominently Brent Chapman, MLA-elect for Surrey South, who had made several anti-Muslim comments almost a decade ago.
Black Press Media has reached to Sapozhnikov for comment.
