A BC Green candidate saw his provincial election campaign take a turn on Wednesday, after he impersonated Martin Luther King Jr. in a speech at the Victoria Convention Centre.

Mark Neufeld — who is running in the Saanich South riding for the BC Greens — has since apologized for replacing certain words and phrases in the civil rights leader's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech.

Neufeld's version is a partisan rallying cry, complete with references to local landmarks.

Neufeld took his impression one step further, and parroted King's cadence and Southern accent while noting he "went to the mountaintop." He also shouted out the Salish name of Mount Douglas, Pkols, and adds that the "promised land" is in British Columbia.

The aspiring politician's speech got a few laughs from the crowd, and CHEK News reports environmental activist David Suzuki was in the front row. However, the backlash to Neufeld's reference was swift.

VICE notes the original speech was delivered the night before King's assassination, and includes mentions of death threats on his life, and how he does not "[fear] any man." It was King's final address. Neufeld reinterpreted this and said he's "not fearing anyone" as a message to his political rivals, because his "eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Greens."

YouTube user Frank Johns edited the two speeches together: