The Day 37 British Columbia MLAs Tried to Advance a Bill to Eliminate Your Basic Human Rights

The Day 37 MLAs Voted to Advance the Repeal of British Columbia’s Human Rights Code

In an extraordinary move in British Columbia’s legislative history, a member of the Legislative Assembly introduced a bill to repeal the province’s entire Human Rights Code. Thirty-six other MLAs voted to support it.

There are moments in politics that pass quietly — buried in procedure, softened by language, diluted by distraction. And then some moments deserve to be marked clearly, because they reveal something fundamental about where we are.

The bill was introduced by Tara Armstrong, MLA for Kelowna–Lake Country–Coldstream.

Her legislation — titled the Human Rights Code Repeal Act — did not propose reform.

It proposed repeal.

Full repeal.

Had it passed, British Columbia would have lost its provincial framework protecting people from discrimination in employment, housing, public services, and business access.

The vote was 50 against.
37 in favour.

The bill failed.

But 37 MLAs stood and voted to let it proceed. That matters.

In a widely circulated video following the vote, Premier David Eby criticized the proposed repeal, underscoring how stark the attempt to dismantle the province’s human rights framework was. His reaction reflected what many British Columbians immediately understood: this was not routine policy debate. It was a challenge to foundational protections.

What the Bill Would Have Done

The B.C. Human Rights Code protects people from discrimination in employment, housing, public services, retail and business access, and within unions and professional organizations.

It protects people based on race, Indigenous identity, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, disability, age, and political belief.

Repealing the Code would have:

• Eliminated the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal

• Removed the Human Rights Commissioner

• Erased the provincial mechanism for filing discrimination complaints

• Invalidated existing tribunal orders

• Forced discrimination cases into Charter litigation — a far more expensive, lengthy, and inaccessible route

In practical terms, an employer could discriminate, a landlord could refuse housing, a business could deny service, and there would be no provincial human rights process to challenge it.

Human rights law exists because discrimination has real consequences.

You can debate tribunal decisions.
You can argue for reform.

But proposing to dismantle the entire human rights framework is something else.

And voting to advance that proposal — even at first reading — is a political choice.

This Was Not “Just Procedure”

Some will say it was only the first reading.

But first reading is not a technical shrug. It is the moment an elected representative decides whether a proposal deserves oxygen.

When that proposal seeks to remove the legal architecture protecting minorities and vulnerable communities from discrimination, advancing it signals that foundational protections are negotiable.

Political scientists call this kind of incremental testing of institutions “democratic backsliding or drift.” It rarely begins with a dramatic rupture. It begins with normalization. It begins when guardrails are reframed as irritants. It begins when rights are treated as bargaining chips.

That does not mean British Columbia is authoritarian.

But it does mean this vote fits a pattern North America is watching closely.

Why I Am Publishing MLA Names

I graduated from UBC’s Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice. My academic and professional work has focused on how language, power, and institutions shape civic life. I’ve spent years studying polarization, democratic erosion, and the subtle ways foundational protections can be reframed as negotiable.

For that reason, I pay attention when a vote touches the legal architecture that protects people from discrimination.

This is not about partisan sport. It is about institutional memory.

Thirty-seven elected representatives from neighbourhoods around our province voted to advance the repeal of British Columbia’s Human Rights Code at first reading. That is a matter of public record.

The names, ridings, and email addresses included below are publicly available through the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Elected officials serve the public. Their contact information exists so that constituents can communicate with them.

I am sharing this information because accountability requires visibility.

If your MLA appears on this list, you may wish to ask them how they understood the implications of this vote. Whether they believe the Human Rights Code should remain intact. And what protections they would put in its place.

Below is a draft letter I intend to send to each of them. Feel free to borrow from it, adapt it, disagree with it, or write your own. But please write something!

Civic participation does not require outrage.

It requires engagement.

This is one of them.

MLAs Who Voted “Yea”

(Human Rights Code Repeal Act – First Reading)

Tara Armstrong

Kelowna–Lake Country–Coldstream

Tara.Armstrong.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Bruce Banman

Abbotsford South

B.Banman@leg.bc.ca

Rosalyn Bird

Prince George–Valemount

Rosalyn.Bird.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Lynne Block

West Vancouver–Capilano

Lynne.Block.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Dallas Brodie

Vancouver–Quilchena

Dallas.Brodie.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Brent Chapman

Surrey South

Brent.Chapman.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Sheldon Clare

Prince George–North Cariboo

Sheldon.Clare.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Hon Chan

Richmond Centre

Hon.Chan.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Jordan Kealy

Peace River North

Jordan.Kealy.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Anna Kindy

North Island

A.Kindy@leg.bc.ca

Steve Kooner

Richmond–Queensborough

Steve.Kooner.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Macklin McCall

West Kelowna–Peachland

Macklin.mccall@leg.bc.ca

Heather Maahs

Chilliwack North

H.Maahs@leg.bc.ca

Scott McInnis

Columbia River–Revelstoke

Scott.McInnis.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Peter Milobar

Kamloops Centre

Peter.Milobar.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Lawrence Mok

Maple Ridge East

Lawrence.Mok.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Larry Neufeld

Peace River South

Larry.Neufeld.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Korky Neufeld

Abbotsford West

Korky.Neufeld.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Ian Paton

Delta South

Ian.Paton.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Claire Rattée

Skeena

Claire.Rattee.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Ward Stamer

Kamloops–North Thompson

Ward.Stamer.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Bryan Tepper

Surrey–Panorama

B.Tepper@leg.bc.ca

Jody Toor

Langley–Willowbrook

Jody.Toor.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Teresa Wat

Richmond–Bridgeport

Teresa.Wat.MLA@leg.bc.ca

A’aliya Warbus

Chilliwack–Cultus Lake

A.Warbus@leg.bc.ca

David Williams

Salmon Arm–Shuswap

David.Williams.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Donegal Wilson

Boundary–Similkameen

Donegal.Wilson.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Kristina Loewen

Kelowna Centre

Kristina.Loewen.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Trevor Halford

Surrey–White Rock

Trevor.Halford.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Sharon Hartwell

Bulkley Valley–Stikine

Sharon.Hartwell.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Linda Hepner

Surrey–Serpentine River

Linda.Hepner.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Kiel Giddens

Prince George–Mackenzie

Kiel.Giddens.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Mandeep Dhaliwal

Surrey North

Mandeep.Dhaliwal.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Brennan Day

Courtenay–Comox

B.Day@leg.bc.ca

Harman Bhangu

Langley–Abbotsford

H.Bhangu@leg.bc.ca

Lorne Doerkson

Cariboo–Chilcotin

Lorne.Doerkson.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Tony Luck

Fraser–Nicola

Tony.Luck.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Votes & Proceedings — February 26, 2026
Division on Motion re: Human Rights Code Repeal Act

https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/overview/43rd-parliament/2nd-session/votes-and-proceedings/v260226.htm

Draft Letter to MLAs Who Voted “Yea”

Subject: Request for Explanation

Dear [MLA Name],

I am writing regarding your vote on February 26, 2026, in favour of introducing the Human Rights Code Repeal Act at first reading.

As you know, the bill proposed the full repeal of British Columbia’s Human Rights Code. Had it passed, it would have eliminated the provincial Human Rights Tribunal, removed the Human Rights Commissioner, and dismantled the primary mechanism through which individuals challenge discrimination in employment, housing, and public services.

I am seeking clarity about how you understood the implications of that vote.

Do you believe the current Human Rights Code should be repealed in its entirety?

If so, what protections would you put in its place to ensure that British Columbians facing discrimination have accessible legal recourse?

If not, what was your reasoning for advancing the bill at first reading?

This is not a partisan question. It is a question about institutional safeguards. The Human Rights Code forms part of the legal architecture that protects vulnerable communities from discrimination. Even allowing a repeal bill to proceed signals something about how those protections are viewed.

As your constituent (or as a British Columbian concerned about provincial institutions), I would appreciate a clear explanation of your position.

Democratic accountability depends on transparency, especially when foundational protections are involved.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Postal Code]