Bennett should apologize for offensive election ad, grand chief says

Last Updated: Thursday, May 7, 2009 | 5:24 PM PT

CBC News

First Nations leaders in B.C. say this ad, placed by B.C. Liberal candidate Bill Bennett in an East Kootaney newspaper, is a slight at his native opponent, NDP candidate Troy Sebastian. (Kootenay Advertiser)

The president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs wants a B.C. Liberal candidate in the East Kootenays to apologize for a campaign ad Grand Chief Stewart Phillip says is a backhanded slap at First Nations and his NDP opponent — a member of the Ktunaxa First Nation.

"All he has to do is to issue a statement saying that it was not his intent to offend First Nations or aboriginal people and that he would issue a public apology," Phillip said Thursday.

Bill Bennett placed the ad in a free weekly newspaper as part of his candidacy for the May 12 provincial election. The ad reads, "You want someone who pays taxes and is concerned about how the money is being spent," underneath a photo of Bennett and his family and a slogan that reads, "He's one of us."

Bennett defended his choice of words Thursday.

"I would not have ever seen how anyone would ever see that as racist," he told CBC News. "I am an ordinary guy. I work. I pay taxes. I recreate on the weekend doing things that people in the Kootenays like to do."

When asked if the ad was intended as a slight against First Nations people who live on Indian reserves and are legally exempt from paying some taxes, Bennett said, "That's not the way it was intended."

'Backhanded slap' was intentional: grand chief

But that's not what Phillip and other aboriginal leaders in B.C. or the NDP think.

"There is no question in my mind, and in the mind of many native people I have spoken to, that this is a backhanded slap against First Nations people," Phillip told CBC News on Thursday morning.

Phillip said he was not surprised by the comments because Bennett had a reputation for "bombastic and bizarre behaviour" and was not known as a defender of First Nations rights.

Bennett was forced to step down from a junior cabinet post in 2007 after admitting he sent an email full of profanities to a constituent.

Bennett's chief rival in the Kootenay East riding is NDP candidate Troy Sebastian, a member of the Ktunaxa First Nation who lives on the Saint Mary's Indian Reserve.

Sebastian said the ad indicates Bennett is desperate to hold onto the seat he has won twice before — most recently in 2005 by just over 700 votes.

"What I see it as is just another sign that the wheels have fallen off the Liberal campaign," said Sebastian. "It shows the Liberal candidate is arrogant and completely out of touch with people in the community."

Internal Links

DOCUMENT: B.C. Liberal candidate Bill Bennett's campaign ad
SkyTrain worker sent home for political endorsement over PA
Revived B.C. Conservatives looking for a breakthrough
Bennett loses B.C. cabinet post over profanity-laced e-mail
B.C. VOTES 2009: Kootenay East candidate profiles

Overall Results

Overall Election Results
Party	Elected	Leading	Total	Vote Share (%)
Updated: May. 13, 2009, 1:16 AM PDT
LIB	49	0	49	46.02
NDP	36	0	36	42.06
GRN	0	0	0	8.10
CON	0	0	0	2.11
OTH	0	0	0	1.72

Choose a format to view results for all ridings and parties:

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All results are unofficial until final ballot counts are verified by Elections B.C.

STV referendum overall results

Question: Which electoral system should British Columbia use to elect members to the provinical Legislative Assembly?

The existing system (First-Past-the-Post)
The single transferable vote electorial system (BC-STV) proposed by the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform

Electoral District Vote

BC-STV

First-Past-the-Post

51 RIDINGS

Ridings 7/85

Ridings 78/85

Updated: May. 13, 2009, 1:16 AM PDT

85/85 ridings reporting

Total Popular Vote

BC-STV

First-Past-the-Post

MAJORITY 60%

560,430 votes | 38.82%

883,259 votes | 61.18%

Updated: May. 13, 2009, 1:16 AM PDT

What it needs to win:

For the referendum to be binding, the approval level must be:

more than 50% of the votes in at least 51 of the province's 85 electoral districts, AND
at least 60% of the total popular vote, province-wide.

If the two thresholds are met, government is required to introduce legislation to implement BC-STV in sufficient time for it to be in place for the May 2013 General Election.

B.C. Votes Headlines

Huntington defeats Oppal in B.C. election recount: Independent candidate Vicki Huntington has defeated high profile B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Wally Oppal in the riding of Delta South in one of two provincial election recounts concluded on Tuesday.
Oppal falls behind in see-saw Delta South recount: B.C. Liberal Wally Oppal fell behind in Monday's initial recount of ballots cast in Delta South in the May 12 provincial election. Absentee votes will still need to be counted Tuesday before the final result will be announced Wednesday.
Record low voter turnout in B.C. election: Voter turnout in B.C.'s provincial election hit a record low on Tuesday, with only 50 per cent of eligible voters bothering to vote, a full eight percentage points less than the 58 per cent that voted in 2005.
Oppal awaits results of recount for Delta South seat: There will be an automatic recount in the Delta South riding after preliminary election results show star Liberal candidate Wally Oppal beat independent Vicki Huntington by a mere two votes.
Re-elected Campbell to focus on strengthening B.C.'s economy: Gordon Campbell says reviving the province's economy is his main task as he heads into a historic third straight term as the province's premier, but other issues — such as health care and the environment — are also on the agenda.

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