Okanagan school board latest to take aim at MLA Tara Armstrong

Independent Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong continues to fight against Indigenous sovereignty, but the Central Okanagan school district is standing with First Nations.

Armstrong has been promoting a petition to repeal the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or UNDRIP, in an effort to undermine Indigenous sovereignty. The Board of Education of Central Okanagan Public Schools released a statement calling out Armstrong and supporting the rights of Indigenous people and its Indigenous students this week.

“Considering statements made by MLA Tara Armstrong, Kelowna–Lake Country–Coldstream, we affirm our support of these established rights,” the board’s statement read.

“We know that championing the human rights of everyone, particularly those who face discrimination, does not diminish the rights of anyone else. We hope that everyone will come to understand that together we learn.”

Armstrong left the BC Conservatives in solidarity with MLA Dallas Brodie, who was ousted from the BC Conservatives for mocking residential school survivors, and since then the pair have been speaking out against Indigenous rights.

The pair of Independent MLAs have been promoting a petition against UNDRIP focused on two cases where parks were temporarily closed for Indigenous ceremonies as a reason to repeal the act.

If the petition gains 10,000 signatures, the MLAs will present it to Premier David Eby.

Armstrong and Brodie previously released a statement that said Indigenous sovereignty is a threat to the province. The Penticton Indian Band called for Armstrong and Brodie’s resignation in response.

The latest response from the MLAs came in a statement, May 12, in which Armstrong and Brodie restated their position that Indigenous bands and their sovereignty are a problem.

“With all due respect to the chiefs and councils of these bands, British Columbia simply cannot accommodate more than 200 sovereignties within its borders,” the statement read.

“Unilateral assertions of sovereignty by bands are deepening racial conflict and undermining the principle of equality under the law.”

Armstrong declined to comment and told iNFOnews.ca to check her posts on X.com.

There is an online petition to recall Armstrong, but it won’t have any effect since recall petition signatures must be collected in person and the petition can’t be started until 18 months after the election. Once the petition is initiated, 40 per cent of electors have to sign the petition within 90 days.