WATCH: Eby accuses Conservatives of pursuing “American-style culture wars”

Update: In a July 30 email response to Sitka Media, the BC Conservative Caucus denied Rob Shaw's July 27 story:

"The claims advanced in the recent article by Rob Shaw are false and entirely unsubstantiated. No such directive has been issued. The author presented no evidence in support of these assertions, which appear to rest solely on speculation," stated BC Conservative Caucus spokeswoman Erika Acuzar.

BC Premier David Eby is blasting the BC Conservatives for pushing what he views as “American-style culture wars,” after reports that the BC Conservatives directed its MLAs to use terms like ‘Indian’ instead of ‘First Nations’ when communicating publicly.

“If you think that American-style culture wars, that calling First Nations people ‘Indians,’ repealing the Human Rights Code, is going to ensure prosperity for your kids and deliver the kind of province that you want, you now have a party to vote for – the BC Conservatives,” said Eby, arguing the NDP is instead focussed on trade diversification and healthcare.

On Monday, Rob Shaw of Business in Vancouver (BIV) reported on a purported Conservative internal memo which directed the Opposition Caucus to cease using the term ‘First Nations,’ instead recommending words like ‘Indian,’ ‘Indigenous,’ or ‘Aboriginal.’ 

While “Indians” is specifically used in Canada’s Constitution Act (1867), the term has generally fallen out of favour in common usage. According to BIV, the Conservative memo points to the federal Indian Act to justify the use of ‘Indian’ in its public communications.

Sitka Media has not viewed the supposed memo in question, although BIV reports that the Conservatives did not reply to deny the veracity of the memo.

Later Monday, BC Conservative MLA Brennan Day appeared to publicly repudiate the direction from his own party leadership, stating “let’s leave the language policing to the NDP.”

Federal Conservative MP Billy Morin, who is himself Indigenous and the former Chief of the Enoch Cree Nation outside Edmonton echoed Day’s comments with a simple “good call.”

During the BC Conservative Leadership Race, then-candidate Kerry-Lynne Findlay criticized fellow leadership contender Peter Milobar as being in a conflict of interest in dealing with Indigenous issues due to the fact that Milobar's wife is Indigenous. Findlay was widely criticized for the comments at the time, which she refused to retract or apologize. Despite the firestorm, Findlay went on to narrowly win the leadership race with 51 per cent on the fourth ballot.