IndigenousA First Nations leader in B.C. says she’s calling for MLA Dallas Brodie to resign due to her anti-Indigenous and residential school denialism rhetoric inside and outside the legislature. Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir says residential school denialism undermines reconciliationEdzi’u Loverin · CBC News · Posted: Nov 20, 2025 7:33 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Rosanne Casimir, kúkpi7 (chief) of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc at a 2022 memorial marking the anniversary of the discovery of potential burial sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, B.C. (Ben Nelms/CBC)A First Nations leader in B.C. says she’s calling for MLA Dallas Brodie to resign due to her anti-Indigenous and residential school denialism rhetoric inside and outside the legislature. Rosanne Casimir, kúkpi7 (chief) of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, said in a statement Wednesday that Brodie’s behaviour undercuts the standards of respect and integrity required of someone in public office.”She’s determined to undermine public trust, reconciliation and what she’s saying threatens the safety of Indigenous peoples,” Casimir told CBC Radio’s Daybreak Kamloops Thursday.“It is a call for accountability.”Residential school denialism downplays, excuses or misrepresents facts about the harms caused by residential schools. Casimir said survivor testimony, residential school records, and ground penetrating radar have all been used to determine potential unmarked graves near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. In 2021, approximately 200 potential burial sites were identified using ground-penetrating radar. Brodie has been outspoken on social media claiming that there are zero unmarked graves of students at the site.“Truth isn’t selective,” said Casimir.”Survivors’ voices, the historical records and then the ongoing investigations are all part of that truth, and denialism ignores evidence. We welcome good faith questions but not rhetoric that erases history.”LISTEN | Kukwpi7 Rosanne Casimir explains why she’s urging Dallas Brodie to step down:Daybreak Kamloops16:04Tk’emlúps Kukwpi7 Rosanne Casimir presses for OneBC leader’s resignationTk’emlúps Kukwpi7 Rosanne Casimir joins us to explain why she’s urging Dallas Brodie to step down over comments she says cross into racism and residential school denialism.When it comes to the investigation of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential school, Casimir said the work is ongoing.“Much work has been done,” said Casimir.“That information will be shared when it’s closer to its completion.”The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has documented more than 4,100 children who died at residential schools across the country. In the legislature Monday, Brodie called a 10-year long Aboriginal rights and title lawsuit by Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc a “land grab that threatens the private homes of 100,000 private residences.”“I condemn this band’s outrageous and opportunistic claim and I pledge my full support to the innocent and hard working people of Kamloops,” said Brodie.Brodie respondsBrodie was elected last year to represent the electoral district of Vancouver-Quilchena. She was removed from the Conservative caucus in March after she mocked residential school survivor testimonies on a podcast.The B.C. Assembly of First Nations adopted a resolution from Casimir calling for Brodie’s resignation at its annual general meeting last month.The resolution alleges Brodie has broken the B.C. Legislature’s Respectful Workplace Guidelines and 2024–2028 Reconciliation Action Plan by actively promoting residential school denialism, inside and outside the legislature, using public funds.In a Nov. 3 statement, the First Nations Leadership Council also called for Brodie to resign for her “reprehensible words and actions” that harm residential school survivors.When asked for her response by a reporter outside the legislature Wednesday to Casimir calling for her resignation, Brodie replied, “I think she should resign.”Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Dallas Brodie speaks outside of Vancouver provincial court. (GP Mendoza/CBC)Brodie said the calls for her to resign were “because I’m calling out some of the biggest issues in the province, and it’s not something that many politicians are willing to do because they don’t like being called names.””I’m standing for the truth… They call for me to resign, I call for them to resign.”Brodie did not respond to interview requests from CBC Indigenous.Spencer Chandra Herbert, B.C.’s minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, said in a statement Thursday that Brodie is promoting “division at a time we should be coming together.”“It seems that every other day we have opposition MLAs competing for who can put out the most divisive, and rage-baiting motion, amendment, or statement, targeting First Nations.”The statement said respecting Indigenous rights “isn’t just the right thing to do — it strengthens our economy, builds trust, and ensures sustainable growth for future generations.”In March, a petition by “concerned residents of Vancouver-Quilchena” called for Brodie’s resignation. The petition now has 1,772 signatures.In B.C., MLAs can be recalled from office between elections by petition, if a registered voter within the MLA’s electoral district collects signatures from 40 per cent of other registered voters in the district. ABOUT THE AUTHOREdzi’u Loverin is graduate of CBC’s Indigenous Pathways Program and has reported in Vancouver and Winnipeg since 2024. Edzi’u is a member of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation and a registered member of the Tahltan Nation, but is currently based in xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ territories. You can email Edzi’u at edziu.loverin@cbc.ca with story ideas.
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc chief calls for B.C. MLA Dallas Brodie to resign
