A letter typed on B.C. legislative assembly stationery signed by Conservative Party MLA Anna Kindy and several other elected officials that backs a controversial federal election candidate has raised concerns about the ethical implications of sending out a partisan message from the legislature.
The letter released on social media over the weekend has the signatures of Campbell River Mayor Kermit Dahl and city Couns. Ben Lanyon, Ron Kerr, and Doug Chapman. It also includes Larry Jangula, the former mayor of Courtenay, David Summers, the regional director for Mount Waddington Regional District, and Jim Palm, a councillor with the City of Powell River. It was also signed by Brennen Day, MLA for Courtenay-Comox.
The letter calls the recent controversy around federal Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn – and the calls for him to step down – a "troubling smear campaign."
"Specifically, the false accusations of residential school denialism have been particularly egregious," notes the letter. "Aaron has repeatedly recognized the truly horrific experience of many First Nations who attended the schools and has always condemned these institutions where abuse occurred."
Gunn is currently running in the North Island – Powell River riding in the federal election set for April 28. He has been facing backlash from what critics are calling contempt for Indigenous rights due to posts he made on X (formerly Twitter) in recent years.
However, as a member of the Legislative Assembly, Kindy is expected to avoid using Legislative Assembly stationery for partisan activities that aren't connected to official responsibilities – this includes not adding signatures from individuals who aren't part of the Legislative Assembly.
Dr. Justin Leifso, assistant professor of political science at the University of Victoria, said there are important guardrails in the legislature that distinguish the responsibilities of an MLA as a representative of their constituents from their duties as politicians affiliated with a political party.
"The institution of the legislature does not take a (partisan) position," said Leifso, adding Kindy's letter, intentional or not, frames the content of the letter as coming from the legislature, which "blurs the distinction between partisanship and the legislature."
A spokesperson with the Office of the Clerk told the Mirror the speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia has talked to Kindy about her "inappropriate use" of Legislative Assembly letterhead.
In a statement Monday (April 7), Kindy admitted it was a "mistake" to use the official legislative letterhead for a letter backing a local federal election candidate.
"It will not happen again," she said. "I take full responsibility for this error.”
