Brodie says she is willing to go to jail over denialism law

OneBC Leader Dallas Brodie said in an interview released Saturday that she is willing to go to jail if Parliament criminalizes residential school denialism, three weeks before British Columbians vote in an election.

Brodie, the MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, made the comments on The Really Big Show with hosts Jim Csek and Iain Burns.

Burns asked whether she would stop speaking out or serve time if such a law took effect. She said she does not expect one to pass. “Am I willing to go to jail? Yes, I am,” she said.

A private member’s bill, C-254, tabled by NDP MP Leah Gazan, would amend the Criminal Code on the promotion of hatred against Indigenous peoples. The Parliament website shows it has completed only first reading. The Assembly of First Nations passed an emergency resolution in July urging Ottawa to criminalize denialism, CBC reported.

Brodie said she has “never even spoken about residential schools” and was talking only about the “215 graves.” She was removed from the B.C. Conservative caucus in March 2025 over podcast remarks that then-leader John Rustad said mocked survivors’ testimony. She has said she does not deny the impact of residential schools.

On Kamloops, Brodie said: “There have been no bodies found. $12.1 million paid to the [band] to dig, and there’s been no digging.” If the money was earmarked for digging, she said, “it needs to be returned to the Canadian taxpayers,” and with interest.

Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc announced in 2021 that radar had found about 200 potential unmarked graves. In a Feb. 17 update, it said results from three survey methods overlap in several areas and found “signatures that resemble burials” in some. Blacklock’s Reporter has reported $12.1 million in federal funding for the investigation. A response from the First Nation to Brodie’s remarks had not been obtained.

Brodie called Premier David Eby “a political opportunist” and “a cynical, selfish man who does things for his own political power.” Eby has said the early vote is needed to meet an “existential moment” created by the trade conflict with the United States, CBC reported. A response from Eby to Brodie’s remarks had not been obtained.

She said the realistic goal “would probably be to reduce [Eby] to a minority government.” She said OneBC is aiming for “30, 35, 40” candidates and that she is open to “coalition building.”

Asked by Burns whether imposing equal treatment of all citizens could lead to violence, Brodie said: “There will be civil unrest.” She added: “I’m not saying I welcome this.”

She also described what she called “ethno communist states” in Canada and said the Assembly of First Nations opposed ending the Indian Act “because they know that’s the source of their power.” The National Indian Brotherhood, the AFN’s predecessor, opposed the 1969 federal white paper that proposed repealing the act. A response from the AFN had not been obtained.

Addressing Prime Minister Mark Carney, Brodie said: “You’re happily sitting there with 91% of your investments invested in the United States of America.” Carney placed his assets in a blind trust, and the ethics commissioner’s disclosure did not list their value, CBC reported. A response from Carney’s office had not been obtained.