Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson is heading to Alberta to run for the People’s Party of Canada in this fall’s federal election.
Thompson, you might recall, ran in the Burnaby South byelection, as well as last October’s Burnaby School Board election.
Thompson criticized federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh for being a “parachute” candidate, so of course she’s doing the exact same thing and didn’t even blink when NOW reporter Kelvin Gawley called on it.
“He’s not local to here and, so yeah, it’s kind of a surprise that he would choose Burnaby South,” Thompson told the Post Millennial in January.
Asked this week how her move differed from Singh’s, Thompson said, “Well, this is what happens in Canada. People in a free society move across to a completely different place, and they see an opportunity that will advance their cause and they do what it takes, and that's what I'm doing.”
The hypocrisy runs pretty deep here.
Thompson’s two recent campaigns in Burnaby were fraught with dramatics.
During the school board election, Thompson and some of her supporters got into a shouting match with other candidates, which ended in the police being called. In February of this year, PPC supporters were heckling candidates about refugees at an all-candidates’ meeting and things degenerated from there.
So I’m sure some local voters will not be sad that Thompson is heading for the Prairies. Of course, the PPC still plan on running in Burnaby South and Burnaby North-Seymour, so we’ll see what happens there.
Thompson, however, is perhaps best known for her vehement opposition to B.C.’s SOGI 123 materials. I won’t repeat her “theories” about these resource materials, but you can read a little bit here.
I thought about this because support for SOGI is stronger than ever. All 60 B.C. school districts and several independent schools have joined the B.C. SOGI Educator Network.
These partners all gathered in Vancouver today to honour SOGI as part of International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.
At the event, representatives of B.C.'s K-12 education partner groups formed a new Provincial K-12 SOGI Collaborative, with a shared goal of supporting students of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions. The collaborative will outline a plan for the next three years to create learning environments that are safe, acceptable, respectful and welcoming for all B.C. students.
SOGI 123 is a resource that provides schools and teachers with ready-to-use, grade-level appropriate materials that align with B.C.'s new curriculum.
I fully support it and am glad more and more people are understanding what it’s all about.
With Thompson campaigning for a while in Alberta, that’s one less negative voice about SOGI and, to me, that’s a big win.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
