A comment made by Liberal MLA Simon Gibson about Indigenous people is drawing controversy.
Squamish Nation university student Taylor McCarthy says Gibson’s comment stereotyped Aboriginal people in B.C. as impoverished and troubled.
McCarthy ran in the recent Squamish Nation council election on a platform of support for the Squamish Valley.
Though not successful, she was about 20 votes shy of a council seat.
The comment was made when McCarthy was visiting the BC Legislature on March 1 with her communication class from Capilano University.
During a meeting with Gibson, Liberal MLA Abbotsford-Mission and MLA Jane Thornthwaite who represents North Vancouver-Seymour, McCarthy raised concerns over the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion project.
“The devastation of a pipeline burst or an explosion, or if a tanker had sunk into the waters — what would that do to the Squamish people… and non-Indigenous people as well — that is my greatest concern,” McCarthy said, according to an audio recording of the meeting shared with The Chief by McCarthy’s professor, Michael Markwick, who was present at the meeting and confirmed McCarthy’s version of events.
Gibson responded, “A lot of First Nations communities around the province are struggling, struggling with addictions, poverty [unclear audio] and you know all the tragedies. And one thing we have been promoting is economic renewal. Because when somebody has a job, you change the paradigm dramatically.”
McCarthy said Gibson’s comment portrays First Nations people as “problematic in the sense that not just a particular group of people have addictions but he is painting all First Nations’ people across the province with the same paintbrush.”
McCarthy, who lives on the Capilano reserve in North Vancouver, wrote a letter to Darryl Plecas, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly about her dismay at the comment.
“Simon Gibson’s response was not only offensive and racist, but hurtful,” McCarthy said in the letter. “I sat there in utter shock.”
McCarthy told The Chief she felt herself blush as Gibson spoke.
“This response from Gibson is absolutely not acceptable. Together, we cannot achieve reconciliation if direct and indirect racism is prevalent within our government,” continued McCarthy in her letter.
“If anything, instead of perpetuating the stereotypes of First Nations peoples, we should be celebrating the successes and perseverance of the peoples and cultures.”
Her letter calls on Speaker Plecas to “ensure this will never happen again, by seeing the Legislature has zero tolerance for racism, hate speech and attacks on women.”
For his part, Gibson says he was commenting that “financial economic benefits would help first Nations working to overcome the effects of addictions, poverty and other issues,” he said in a letter to The Chief. “I was making the case for the positive impact of well-planned economic development on First Nations communities.”
He added that he looks forward to “ongoing positive relations with First Nations from all across British Columbia.”
For his part, Gibson says he was commenting that “financial economic benefits would help first Nations working to overcome the effects of addictions, poverty and other issues,” he said in a letter to The Chief. “I was making the case for the positive impact of well-planned economic development on First Nations communities.”
He added that he looks forward to “ongoing positive relations with First Nations from all across British Columbia.”
