A Dangerous Step Back
Scrapping B.C.’s human rights protections would legalize discrimination and drag the province further into needless culture wars.
Sometimes the news doesn’t just inform. It drains. You look for a sliver of light and instead find another wave of hostility washing over the public square. Where the water of civic life should be flowing, there is barely a drip. Kindness, empathy, and dignity feel squeezed out by hot takes and punitive politics dressed up as principle.
Today was another example.
Tara Armstrong stood in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia to introduce a bill to abolish the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, repeal the British Columbia Human Rights Code, eliminate the Human Rights Commissioner, and nullify previous Tribunal rulings. She framed the move as defending freedom of expression, citing the decision involving former school trustee Barry Neufeld.
The Neufeld decision arose from findings that his repeated public comments targeting transgender people amounted to discrimination under the Human Rights Code, particularly in an employment context. It was not a criminal prosecution. It was not about imprisoning someone for speech. It was about whether conduct directed at a protected group violated provincial human rights law.
Over five years, Neufeld didn’t just state a belief. He published, reposted, and amplified rhetoric that:
Called trans identities “delusional,” “fictions,” and “fads.”
Associated 2SLGBTQ+ people with pedophilia, grooming, and predation.
Described them as a “powerful menace” threatening children and society.
Used dehumanizing language likening people to “snakes,” “deceivers,” and “sub-human,” linking them to “filth” and “addiction.”
The stakes go far beyond one case.
The BC Human Rights Code protects people from discrimination in employment, housing, services, publications, and membership in unions or associations. It covers race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and age, among other grounds.
If the Code were abolished, those protections would not simply become symbolic. They would disappear from provincial human rights law. An employer could refuse to hire someone because she is pregnant. A landlord could turn away a tenant because he uses a wheelchair. A business could deny service to a same-sex couple. A worker could be dismissed because of their race or religion. Women, people with disabilities, racialized communities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people are historically and statistically more likely to experience discrimination. They would be the first to feel the consequences.
That reality should concern anyone who believes in equal treatment under the law.
It is also significant that members of the BC Conservative Party voted in favour of the bill at first reading. First reading does not mean passage, but it signals openness to dismantling the very framework that protects British Columbians from discrimination. And passing first reading would take up time in debate for real governance. Fortunately the bill was voted down.
There is a broader context here as well. Provincial human rights law requires that public institutions, including schools, operate free from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Policies such as SOGI 123 were developed in part to help school districts meet those obligations by fostering safer, more inclusive environments for 2SLGBTQIA+ students. These measures are connected to legal duties under the Code, not abstract ideology.
Eliminating the Code would not simply remove a tribunal. It would unravel the foundation that affirms the dignity and equal worth of people across this province. It would send a message that protection from discrimination is optional or expendable.
Public policy debates are healthy. Scrutiny of decisions is legitimate. Abolishing the human rights framework altogether is something else entirely. It moves British Columbia backward at a time when vigilance around equality and inclusion is more important than ever.
British Columbians who value equal protection under the law should be contacting their MLAs and asking where they stand. Human rights protections are not an inconvenience. They are a safeguard. And once dismantled, rebuilding them is never simple.
British Columbians deserve leaders focused on housing, health care, affordability, and public safety, not stoking culture wars. It’s time to get back to the real work of governing and bring some light back into this province.
Wilbur, your work is very valuable. Thank you.
Tara Armstrong is quite literally a MONSTER! She absolutely hates and despises EVERYONE who doesn’t look like her, act like her and believe the same horrifically disgusting and evil BS she spews on a regular basis! That ANY cConservative voted with her tells me THEY ALSO need to be removed from office!
Get that recall legislation working because there are a hell of a lot of people,in B.C. who would happily give her the boot and NEVER allow her to infest our legislature again along with ANYONE who voted with her on this bill!