A group of about a dozen mostly Vancouver west-side residents officially launched a recall campaign Thursday to oust their elected MLA, Dallas Brodie, saying she was not performing her duties and had made offensive remarks about Indigenous persons.
Recall Petition Initiated
Dorothy Cumming, a riding constituent and retired nurse, wore a "Recall Dallas Brodie" button as she addressed a news conference in Trafalgar Park within Brodie's Vancouver-Quilchena riding. The group aims to force a byelection to elect a new MLA before the next provincial election.
On May 14, Elections B.C. approved an application to unseat Brodie under a provincial recall law. Canvassers now have 60 days to collect over 15,000 signatures.
Reasons for Recall
Cumming stated that constituents were not being properly represented in the provincial legislature. "I believe that Dallas Brodie is unfit to serve," she said, reading from a printed page. "This recall is not about political positions or party lines, it is about fitness for public office."
She highlighted several reasons for the recall, emphasizing Brodie's behavior when she "publicly mocked the testimony of Indian residential school survivors on the abuses they endured." Cumming added, "This raises questions about judgment, respect, and the ability to represent a diverse community."
Furthermore, Cumming noted a lack of engagement in the riding, with no focus on local issues, as Brodie was "too busy building a party brand"—referring to her now-defunct party, OneBC. Brodie has not supported schools, fixed the broken health-care system, or addressed the lack of affordable housing, according to Cumming.
Non-Partisan Effort
Cumming repeated that the recall is non-partisan: "It is not NDP versus Conservative." She described herself as the proponent and admitted feeling "nervous" but declined to say who approached her to lead the campaign. "I was not approached, I came forward," she said, though she would not disclose to whom she volunteered or how the group formed. "There was general discussion among people I know that want a recall."
Background
As Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer noted, there has been some secrecy about the group, with its website claiming it is a grassroots effort led by constituents. He wrote that B.C. Premier David Eby's endorsements in November in the legislature of recalls of Brodie and MLA Tara Armstrong—both elected as Tories in 2024—"loom large" over the recall movement. Eby accused both MLAs of promoting an "unambiguously racist" backlash against Indigenous people, calling it disgusting and appalling.
Brodie was expelled from the Conservative party last year by then-Leader John Rustad over comments he said were offensive to residential school survivors. She subsequently formed OneBC with Armstrong, who now sits as an Independent after leaving the party.
