B.C. Conservatives say “BC needs more of” racist website that supports deporting all Canadians of Indian ancestry
VICTORIA—B.C. Conservative Leader Trevor Halford is praising the work of the Western Standard, a far-right website that supports the deportation of millions of Canadian citizens based solely on their Indian background.
“This website has published many racist articles and directly attacked the character of Canadians of Indian ancestry,” said Rohini Arora, MLA for Burnaby East. “It’s shocking to see the B.C. Conservatives using their profile to promote a racist website that wants to mass deport millions of Canadians based on their ethnicity.”
On Thursday Halford described the Western Standard as “independent journalism at its best” and said “BC needs more of it.”
Last month the Standard published a column entitled “RETURN TO SENDER” that said “No, Canada will not take 60 million more Indians. Let’s send the 2.8 million we have back to India.”
The article claimed that Canadians of Indian descent don’t contribute economically and referred to Tim Horton’s as “Singh Horton’s”:
“Anyone who has been to Singh Horton’s knows that no “economic potential” is coming from India.”
“We should send back the ones already here, and it wouldn’t be hard. We know where to find them: minimum-wage jobs that teenagers used to do.”
A separate article profiling the white supremacist group Second Sons is titled “INDIAN TRUCKS KILL CANUCKS.”
The site also publishes Daniel Tyrie, a mass deportation activist that former Alberta Conservative Premier Jason Kenney recently called “a racist” and “poison.” Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne called out the Western Standard for publishing Tyrie’s “white-nationalist bilge.”
“At a time when we’re seeing more racist violence and hate crimes, the Western Standard is fanning the flames,” said Arora. “It’s so disappointing that the B.C. Conservatives are pandering to racists for votes without regard for the serious consequences to people.”
Halford has frequently said he would call out any intolerance.
“There’s no question that this website spreads hate against Canadians of Indian descent, but Trevor Halford says BC needs more of it,” said Arora. “If he truly wants to live up to his past commitment, he’ll retract his support for this racist website and denounce it instead.”