---
title: "Eby calls on Doerkson to remove Conservative campaign director over anti-Islam posts"
description: "NDP leader David Eby said on October 10 that Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson must fire his party's campaign director, Katy Merrifeld, for social media posts calling Islam an abhorrent ideology."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/eby-calls-to-fire-conservative-campaign-director-merrifeld-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-11T01:06:01.985Z"
---

BC NDP leader [David Eby](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/david-eby) called on Conservative leader [Lorne Doerkson](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/lorne-doerkson) on Saturday to fire his party's campaign director over a social media post that called Islam an "abhorrent ideology." CityNews Vancouver reported the call from a campaign stop on Vancouver Island.

## What Eby said

According to CityNews Vancouver, Eby said Doerkson must remove Katy Merrifeld over a post she made on June 17. The post placed an expletive in front of the word Islam and called on her audience to defend "Western civilization." CityNews Vancouver reported the post was connected to a privately funded report called "Rape Gang Inquiry," published by Rupert Lowe, the leader of the anti-immigration Restore Britain party.

Eby said Doerkson has a chance to show where he stands. CityNews Vancouver reported him saying that if Doerkson does not remove Merrifeld, it would show he only fires candidates in ridings where they had no chance of winning.

## Merrifeld's response

Merrifeld has since said on social media that she took the original post down within hours, according to CityNews Vancouver. She said her anger was directed at the extremism used to justify violent crimes, not at Muslims or their faith. CityNews Vancouver reported her saying she is a woman and a rape survivor who was brought to tears reading the report. "I was heartbroken, horrified, and angry," she said in a post. "I abhor the people who perpetuated that violence justified by their extreme ideology."

## The Agou case

This call follows Doerkson's decision last week to fire Conservative candidate Joachim Agou from the Victoria-Beacon Hill riding. CityNews Vancouver reported that Agou's removal was also over comments about Muslims, and that Agou has since apologized. Eby was asked why he is calling for the removal of someone who is not on the ballot. His answer, reported by CityNews Vancouver, drew a comparison to Agou: if Doerkson does not also remove Merrifeld, it would mean he only removed Agou because that riding was not competitive.

## What this means for voters

If you want to follow this story, CityNews Vancouver has reported it as of October 10. The Conservative Party of BC's response, if any, was not included in the CityNews Vancouver report. The October 24 election is two weeks away. Advance voting runs from October 16 to 21, and your voting place is available through Elections BC.

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