---
title: "Conservative candidate Mike Hicks says 'conquered' comment about First Nations was taken out of context"
description: "Mike Hicks, the BC Conservative candidate for Juan de Fuca-Malahat, said his statement at a 9 October debate that 'First Nations have to be conquered' was misconstrued. He remains on the Conservative slate. NDP and Green candidates in his riding have called for his removal."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/mike-hicks-conquered-first-nations-juan-de-fuca-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-17T18:42:30.944Z"
---

BC Conservative candidate Mike Hicks, who is running in Juan de Fuca-Malahat, said a statement he made at a 9 October debate about First Nations being "conquered" was taken out of context, Abbotsford News reported on 16 October 2026.

At the debate, Hicks said "First Nations have to be conquered" before a moderator cut him off, according to reporter Mark Page. Hicks has since said the sentence was unfinished and that his meaning was different from how it was reported.

Hicks told Abbotsford News: "In law, as I understand it, English law, you can't just move into an area and take it over; you either have to conquer the First Nations in a war or sign a treaty. And we did neither. We just moved in and settled in B.C. And we have to negotiate the treaties. And I'm all for it, of course." Hicks said he is "devastated" by how his words were received.

## Hicks remains on the Conservative slate

Abbotsford News reported that Hicks remains a candidate on the BC Conservative slate for Juan de Fuca-Malahat. The Conservative Party did not issue a statement in the article. The article did not report any action by the party concerning his candidacy.

BC Green Leader [Emily Lowan](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/emily-lowan), running in the separate riding of Saanich North and the Islands, called for the Conservative Party to remove Hicks. She told the paper: "This isn't one bad moment. It's a pattern." Lowan's campaign did not specify in the article what other incidents she was referring to.

## The NDP response

NDP candidate Dana Lajeunesse, who is running against Hicks in Juan de Fuca-Malahat, told Abbotsford News: "Mike Hicks's attempts to explain away his comments miss the point. The word 'conquered' carries a long and painful history, and regardless of the point he was trying to make, there is no place for that language today."

The Abbotsford News article did not carry a response from any First Nations organization or leader about Hicks's explanation.

Voters in Juan de Fuca-Malahat can find candidate pages at [/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/mike-hicks](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/mike-hicks) and [/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/dana-lajeunesse](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/dana-lajeunesse). Advance voting for the 24 October election runs from 16 to 21 October.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.