B.C. NDP Leader David Eby was forced to clarify his comments Monday after his opponents accused him of exploiting the deadly fire in Wainwright, Alta., for political gain during a campaign speech. The controversy erupted at the NDP’s first campaign stop of the day, where Eby spoke about Canadian unity—in the context of Alberta’s referendum—and accused some members of the B.C. Conservative Party of supporting separatism. “Not one, not two, but three Conservative MLAs right now are members of a separatist Facebook group,” he told reporters in Stanley Park. Within the same speech, Eby also addressed the Wainwright tragedy. “Crucially, today as Canadians, we all are in mourning about the loss of lives of our true heroes,” Eby said. B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson accused the NDP leader of using the deaths of soldiers to score political points. “It is beyond disgusting and desperate for Mr. Eby to invoke the lives of the soldiers lost over the weekend in an effort to save his own political skin,” Doerkson said. “And frankly, what is wrong with this man?” Asked whether any members of his party are separatists, Doerkson did not answer directly. “I am absolutely disgusted in these absolute attacks, particularly against me. I am a broad-thinking person who is a Canadian, who is extremely proud of this country and extremely proud of this province,” he said. Stewart Prest, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia, told CTV News he does not believe Eby intended to exploit the tragedy, but said the speech was meant to create a politically divisive environment, and that has consequences. “Mr. Eby is really leaning into this kind of nationalist rhetoric and saying, this is legitimate, this is loyal, this is not, and when you’re doing that at the same time you’re talking about a tragedy, then you are opening yourself up to these charges,” Prest argued. Hours later, at a campaign stop in Hope, Eby sought to clarify his earlier remarks. “The deaths of these young men, their sacrifice is sacred, the grief of these families is sacred, and to ensure that there is no confusion going forward, I will keep any comment related to this horrific tragedy completely separate from conversations about the campaign,” Eby said.
