VANCOUVER—A major Vancouver political party’s apparent “veer to the right” — highlighted by a city councillor’s recent departure — could put the party at odds with many of the city’s voters, according to political insiders.

Coun. Rebecca Bligh announced Friday she was leaving the Non-Partisan Association because she does not agree with the socially-conservative values of some of the party’s newly-elected executives.

The split emphasizes how far to the political right the NPA has drifted recently, said former Vancouver city councillor and longtime NPA member George Affleck.

“I would argue that in Vancouver, you can’t win with a far-right party — it’s just not possible,” said Affleck, who served as city councillor for two terms.

“You have to be somewhat centrist and I think the perception of the NPA’s veer to the right is certainly not good for the party as a whole.”

On Dec. 3, the NPA board announced the election of its new executive team, including Christopher Wilson as the board’s new director. Wilson previously worked for the far-right outlet Rebel Media.

The board also selected Ray Goldenchild as secretary, and Phyllis Tang as treasurer. Both were endorsed by a group called Let’s Vote during the 2018 municipal election. The group’s website states it advocates for “traditional family values,” “children’s interests” and “pro-life issues.”

In a written statement released Monday, Goldenchild spoke out against being labelled as “conservative.” Goldenchild, who is Black, called it a “racially and politically motivated” attack on his character.

“In my opinion, this labelling is careless, involves gross generalizations and has serious consequences. I thought we have overcome binaries and viewing people through them.”

Star Vancouver’s requests for comment to the NPA board have gone unanswered.

In a statement explaining her departure, Bligh said she originally joined the party for its “socially progressive” and “fiscally responsible” values. But she said she would now sit as an independent on city council instead.

“In light of the newly elected executive to the NPA Board having any affiliation with anti-SOGI is against the core values that I hold dear to my heart,” Bligh wrote. “There is no debate when it comes to inclusion.”

SOGI refers to the B.C. government’s policy on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, which sought to create a LGBTQ-friendly environment for students.

Goldenchild said in his statement that his focus at the NPA is “to see that inclusion of all faiths, ideologies and identities are embraced.”

The NPA has traditionally been the go-to party for right-wing voters in Vancouver but it has also fielded left-leaning candidates in the past. In 1986, it became the first party to successfully have an openly gay member, Gordon Price, elected to Vancouver city council.

When reached Saturday, Price said any political party that wants to hold a meaningful number of seats in a metropolitan area needs to think inclusively.

“This is Vancouver, remember. Any party that wants to have a majority in an urban core on the west side of North America should assume they’re going to encompass a good part of the left.”

Price, who has an urban planning background, said that strategy helped the NPA win several majorities during his time in office, from 1986 to 2002. He described himself as “the West-End gay guy” on the ballot during those years.

Meanwhile, LGBTQ activists are speaking out against the election of NPA’s new executive team.

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“This sends a message of betrayal,” said Morgane Oger, a transgender advocate who ran as an independent for the Vancouver School Board in 2018.

Oger is also a member of the BC NDP and ran under that party’s banner in the Vancouver False Creek riding during the 2017 provincial elections.

Oger said she had a “courteous and collaborative” relationship working with the NPA on previous LGBTQ issues but that she would find it difficult to trust the party moving forward.

But NPA insiders have been quick to make a distinction between the party’s board of directors and the party’s caucus members — those elected to city council, the school board and the park board. Affleck, Price, Bligh, and others all say the party’s executives do not influence caucus members’ policies.

The NPA caucus issued a joint statement Friday night, emphasizing it fully supported Bligh’s actions and emphasized its stance on inclusivity.

“We believe it is important for our Caucus to speak out with a strong, unequivocal voice and express our unyielding continued support for our LGBTQ2S+ community and SOGI 123,” the statement read.

However, it stopped short of condemning the board’s actions — something Affleck said it should have done.

“I would say the board needs to take a look at itself. And I would say the caucus should take a harder stand as a whole,” he said. “I was surprised that it wasn’t harder. And I wonder why.”

The NPA has four remaining city councillors: Colleen Hardwick, Melissa De Genova, Lisa Dominato and Sarah Kirby Yung.

Coun. Dominato, who previously worked for the B.C. government crafting its SOGI policy, told Star Vancouver she hopes the board takes “swift action.”

“I hope the board is listening and will consider whether the makeup of the board actually aligns with our values.”

Correction - Dec. 9, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly stated that the B.C. provincial election was held in 2016. In fact it was held in 2017.

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