B.C. Conservative MLAs vote against ban on protests at schools
VICTORIA—Heather Maahs and Korky Neufeld again broke with their B.C. Conservative colleagues to vote against a ban on protests at schools.
Maahs and Neufeld voted last night against the Safe Access to Schools Amendment Act, which extended a 2024 bill that created 20-metre buffer zones at schools. The access zones became necessary after dozens of protests outside schools that targeted students and teachers and disrupted classroom learning.
Just three weeks ago, Neufeld and Maahs avoided voting with their colleagues to affirm their support for the Human Rights Code.
Maahs has broken with some or all of her colleagues on at least seven other occasions in the last year:
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Was one of only two B.C. Conservatives who voted for OneBC’s bill to ban land acknowledgements, and skipped the vote on their bill to repeal National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
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Posted in support of staffer Lindsay Shepherd after she was fired for calling Orange Shirt Day a “disgrace.”
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Hosted a legislature event for the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA), a group that calls homosexuality “immoral.”
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Stayed out of the house while the rest of her colleagues voted to affirm the Human Rights Code and Tribunal.
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Defended Barry Neufeld, and repeated his suggestion comparing trans people to sex offenders.
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Disobeyed an order not to attend a OneBC event with anti-trans activist Billboard Chris.
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Was one of five MLAs to vote against condemning Trump’s tariffs.
Maahs has described Pride parades as “deviant behaviour.”
Lisa Beare, Education Minister:
“This bill is essential to protecting students and teachers from harassment and ensuring our kids feel safe and welcomed in schools. Even if you disagree on a policy, it’s never ok to target students and teachers or disrupt learning environments. The B.C. Conservatives continue to show that they’re more interested in spreading angry Trump-style politics than protecting kids. They would take us backwards and leave us more divided.”