Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs Demands Firing of Conservative Staffer Over Residential School Denial

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is urging Conservative leader John Rustad to fire a caucus staffer after she dismissed symbols of truth and reconciliation as “fake” and “a disgrace.”

The controversy began after Lindsay Shepherd, a communications staffer for the Conservative caucus, posted on social media that the Survivors’ flag and Orange Shirt Day perpetuate “untruths about Canadian history,” calling the Kamloops residential school discoveries “the grandest lie of all.” She deleted the post shortly afterward, but screenshots circulated widely.

The comments came just a day after MLAs from multiple parties raised the Survivors’ flag outside the legislature ahead of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC president, said Rustad must take decisive action. “It’s shocking, it’s absolutely disgusting,” he said. “Residential school denial is a terrible, racist sickness that’s given public expression with impunity.”

Former Green MLA Adam Olsen, of the Tsartlip First Nation, called the remarks “vile” and said they reflect a troubling trend. He also criticized Rustad’s own record, noting his pledge to repeal B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) and recent claims that Indigenous title cannot co-exist with private property rights.

Rustad has not commented on the post, and it remains unclear whether Shepherd still works for the caucus. A caucus spokesperson declined to answer. However, Conservative MLA Scott McInnis, critic for Indigenous relations, said on social media that the party supports survivors and was honoured to take part in the flag-raising.

This is not the first controversy for Rustad’s caucus. In March, he expelled MLA Dallas Brodie after she was accused of mocking residential school testimony on a podcast and of making denialist posts online.

For Indigenous leaders, Shepherd’s remarks reopen deep wounds. “These kinds of attacks on the true history of our province are toxic,” said Olsen. “They force survivors and families to constantly relive their pain while their stories are questioned.”

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission documented over 4,100 deaths at residential schools across Canada, with testimony from more than 6,000 survivors describing abuse and neglect. In 2021, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc announced ground-penetrating radar had found anomalies consistent with potential burial sites at Kamloops, drawing national and international attention.

With reconciliation already a divisive issue in provincial politics, critics say Rustad’s response—or lack of one—will test whether the Conservative party is willing to confront denialism within its ranks.