The Conservative Party of BC has removed its candidate for the Kelowna–Mission riding.
In a statement sent to NowMedia, the BC Conservatives said Alexandra Wright was dropped “after careful consideration” of her “campaign performance and conduct.”
The BC Conservatives said the decision was made on Thursday afternoon.
Speaking to NowMedia, Wright said she is "pretty shocked by the whole thing." She accused the BC Conservatives of "planning to replace me for at least three weeks," adding: "When I refused to move ridings to accommodate my replacement, these allegations were suddenly made."
Wright also said she was "not aware of any ethics violations or performance issues," alleging that the party "did not raise any to me prior to my termination."
BC United posted on X earlier today to call for Wright – whom they branded “radical” – to be fired.
The party included an image showing that Wright had reposted a message on her X account.
That message, from an account named “BC Perspective,” called for sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) teaching to be removed from schools and for Adrian Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry to be “criminally” investigated.
“John Rustad said he’s vetted all his candidates and they’re all approved,” the BC United post reads.
“While we disagree with many decisions made by Adrian Dix and Dr. Henry, they are not criminals.”
Wright, a farmer, businesswoman and lawyer, was selected by the BC Conservatives in February.
In an essay published by KelownaNow late last month, Wright called for “commonsense change” in BC.
She added: “What attracted me to the Conservatives was John’s commitment to speaking his mind instead of just following the party line.”
Referencing that piece in a statement sent to NowMedia, she said: "As I said in my op-ed, there is a reason politicians have a horrible reputation! I honestly thought I could make a difference."
The BC Conservatives, however, did not specify the exact reason Wright was removed.
But in a statement, the party explained: “Yesterday afternoon the Conservative Party of British Columbia removed Alexandra Wright as a candidate. This decision was made after careful consideration of various factors related to campaign performance and conduct.
“The Conservative Party remains committed to upholding the highest standards of performance and conduct for all its candidates to ensure effective representation and success in the upcoming elections.”
In a statement sent to NowMedia, the BC NDP said the BC Conservatives had been "forced to eject another extreme candidate."
The statement also included a quote from BC NDP MLA Ravi Parmar, who said it is "alarming" that people with "extreme views" could become ministers in the next BC government.
"British Columbians deserve to know how many more candidates in John Rustad’s Conservative Party hold extreme homophobic, anti-choice, anti-science positions," he added.
