Controversial Conservative candidate Brent Chapman projected to win South Surrey riding
BC Conservative Party candidate Brent Chapman is projected to win a seat in the Surrey South riding in today’s BC Election.
Voters only had two names on the ballot in that riding, with the Conservative candidate facing BC NPD candidate Haroon Ghaffar.
The riding was previously represented by former Liberal/BC United Elenore Sturko, who is running in the riding of Surrey-Cloverdale in the 2024 election. The riding has also seen boundary changes this election, with areas of Surrey-Panorama now included.
Chapman was under fire in the weeks leading up to the election over surfaced comments, including one where he commented in 2015 that “it is forbidden to marry outside of your family in Palestine. They are little inbred walking, talking, breathing time bombs… figuratively and quite literally.” He also appeared to deny the validity of mass shooting tragedies.
BC Conservative leader John Rustad dismissed calls to remove Chapman from the party over the comments, and Chapman shared on social media that he does believe that these mass shootings are real, and it’s the media that confuse the public when reporting on these tragedies. He said in a statement that those comments were unacceptable and they do not reflect who he is today when asked by media, but later denied opportunities for interviews over apparent advice from his lawyer.
Many have rejected the defence that these comments were in the past. Some pointed to statements made in September when Chapman referenced two high-profile cult movements when speaking about residential schools on a fringe YouTube show.
Previous episodes had conversations with guests on a range of topics including anti-COVID measures, vaccines, science denial, the Liberal government, and more.
Recently Brent Chapman went on a fringe podcast where the host describes what happened at residential schools as a “massive fraud” and Chapman agrees with her and jokes that kids dying this way would be akin to the Jamestown massacre or Charles Manson. #bcpoli #vanpoli #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/B2V55ing8K
— Jas Johal (@JasJohalBC) October 11, 2024
Chapman says the following on the YouTube show:
“On Canada Day last year, I was watching TV in the morning. I normally don’t, but I just thought I’d put it on and he was talking about how the country was a dismal failure, it was a disturbed, disgusting country that had run rough shot over First Nations, people of colour, gay people, and how the country had a lot to atone and to make up for itself and really there was a lot of dark shame. I’m listening to this guy, it’s Canada Day! But then two hours later, he’s like if you have one of those sort of bipolar spouses, he runs out onto the stage and says ‘hey Canada we are the greatest country in the world!’ and I’m thinking ‘how can that same person say those same two comments within two hours of each other and we donn’t say anything and the media doesn’t say ‘what was that other stuff what was that other stuff this morning?'”
The host then agrees and says that there’s a feeling that Canadians are supposed to feel bad for things that happened “how many years ago” when she said we aren’t responsible.
“Did a lot of these things even happen?” the host asked. “Now all the residential school situation has surfaced, and it looks like some massive fraud, and that’s been exposed now. I don’t know if most Canadians realize this, but all of the residential school business is not quite what it’s portrayed as with the mass graves, etc. But people feel ashamed, and why are we made to feel so ashamed as Canadians?”
Chapman replied laughing.
“I’m starting to feel like the people at Jonestown,” he said. “It must have been like … either that or Charles Manson. You are absolutely right. You aren’t allowed to say, ‘I don’t think we are in that same boat’.”
The Jonestown cult massacre left 900 people, including hundreds of children, dead in 1978. Charles Manson is a convicted criminal who was responsible for the Manson Family murders and doomsday cult in the 60s.
He goes on to mention the “Musqueam situation” and says he realizes how little effect he could have on the government. He says that even if we could go back in time to 1947, there would be no way for the people to do anything.
“We couldn’t stop anything they did in 2020 during COVID; everything happened to us. This idea that somehow supposed to feel some deep shame and guilt, could you feel bad for people? Of course, of course. If kids were put, or families had something that was done.”
The original video has since been removed; however, following the online outrage against a portion of the interview, Chapman posted a longer clip on X saying that the idea he was laughing at Indigenous children was taken out of context and the allegation is “totally slanderous and bad faith attack.”
Chapman is married to federal Conservative Member of Parliament Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay. According to the South Surrey—White Rock MPs website, Chapman is a locally based actor and director.
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