I hardly know where to begin. This story is revolting on so many levels.
You'll know I've written quite a bit about Tara Armstrong, the MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream, and the One BC party -- about their trans-misogyny, their appalling bill invoking the Notwithstanding Clause to attack youth, trans people, and their families. About their attempts to deny the truth of residential schools.
But it's gotten worse. Much worse.
Enter Jim McMurtry -- the Abbotsford school teacher fired in 2021 for pushing his personal theories about residential schools in the classroom among other allegations of professional misconduct. Now he's resurfaced as a One BC candidate, running on the notoriety of losing his job. In some circles, he's being hailed as a hero -- at least according to the talking heads at One BC. He remains without a teaching position, and the formal regulatory process is still unfolding.
McMurtry defends residential schools by claiming that sharing the truth about them is anti- Christian bigotry and that open discussion in classrooms should be investigated. He described Indigenous title rights as a "land heist" and referred to early Indigenous peoples as "headhunters."
Among all the propaganda he spews on social media, one statement stood out: "Is Canadian culture racist and bad? No, it is superior to Indigenous, Islamic, Indian, Asian, African or Pacific Island culture."
He stands by that -- openly declaring white European superiority. Let me pause to counter that claim. My grandparents, George and Zelma, homesteaded on the Alberta prairies on Treaty 6 land. My grandmother was just fifteen when she married my thirty-year-old grandfather. They built a sod house near Vermilion in a district called Hindville. Their first child was born in 1915. Winters were brutal -- temperatures often plunging to -30°C or lower. Keeping a baby warm in a sod hut was a daily struggle.
Do you know who helped my grandmother, a frightened young mother in those bleak conditions? It was Indigenous people passing through -- likely Plains and Woodland Cree -- who showed her how to bundle her baby and hang the cradle near the ceiling where the air was warmer. They taught my grandfather how to use rawhide as translucent window coverings that let in light while keeping out the wind. Until then, they had no windows at all. Grandma always said they might not have survived that first winter without that kindness.
We don't need to argue about who is superior. We need to return to the spirit of generosity and kinship my grandparents experienced all those years ago. Instead of trying to extinguish Indigenous culture, we should be learning from it.
This toxic narrative from McMurtry and his band of charlatans in One BC serves one purpose: to undermine truth and reconciliation and preserve systems of colonial privilege through dehumanization. They fear losing their unearned advantages and hope to rally British Columbians to their cause through fear and resentment.
Let's make sure that, come the next election, they ride their hate wagon straight into the sunset. In the meantime, keep calling out racism -- loudly, clearly, and without apology.
Wilbur Turner, LL.D. (Hon.), is a seasoned political strategist and community advocate based in Kelowna, British Columbia. Drawing from hands-on experience in political campaigns, he brings a passionate commitment to civic engagement and delivers incisive, approachable commentary on the political and social forces shaping our communities and nation. Honored with an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of British Columbia for his profound community impact, Turner also pens thought-provoking pieces as QueerGranddad on Substack.