UBCIC calls for BC Conservatives to remove Powell River candidate over residential school denialism
The Union of BC Indian Chiefs called on October 13 for the removal of John Henderson, the BC Conservative candidate in Powell River-Sunshine Coast, over his promotion of a book that denies and minimizes residential school survivor experiences.
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The Union of BC Indian Chiefs called on the BC Conservative Party on October 13, 2026, to remove John Henderson, its candidate for Powell River-Sunshine Coast, over his promotion of a book that the UBCIC says minimizes and denies the experiences of residential school survivors. The Indo-Canadian Voice reported the call the same day. No response from Henderson or from the BC Conservative Party was included in the article or found separately.
What the UBCIC says Henderson did
The UBCIC states that while Henderson served as Mayor of Sechelt, he promoted a book called "Grave Error: How The Media Misled Us," which the UBCIC describes as a collection of essays that minimize and deny residential school survivor experiences. The UBCIC's characterization is its own; the article does not quote Henderson's explanation of his promotion of the book.
Following Henderson's promotion of the book, the UBCIC reports that Sechelt's city council passed a motion rejecting residential school denialism. At a later council meeting, the UBCIC says councillors wore orange shirts in solidarity with residential school survivors. The dates of these council actions were not given in the article.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip's statement
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President, said the Conservative Party announced Henderson's candidacy on October 1, the day after people across the country marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and that it "felt like a slap in the face." He added that the pain of residential school denialism "has no place in public discourse" and that "no individual should be acclaimed by any party when they have perpetuated Residential School denialism, including Mr. Henderson."
The UBCIC's call is a public demand directed at the Conservative Party. It is not a finding by any court, regulator, or Elections BC.
NDP candidate's comment
Ravi Parmar, the BC NDP candidate for Langford-Highlands, said Henderson's denialism "was publicly known when Lorne Doerkson approved him as a candidate." Parmar also asked whether Doerkson considers "these views are acceptable under his leadership." These are Parmar's own claims about the Conservative leader. The Conservative Party's response to Parmar's comments was not reported in the Indo-Canadian Voice article.
Henderson remains the BC Conservative candidate for Powell River-Sunshine Coast. Nominations closed October 3, 2026. Advance voting opens October 16, with voting day on October 24. Voters can find all candidates for the riding at Elections BC or the candidate's page at this site.
Questions this story answers
What is the UBCIC calling for?
The Union of BC Indian Chiefs is calling on the BC Conservative Party to remove John Henderson as its candidate for Powell River-Sunshine Coast in the 2026 provincial election. The UBCIC made this call on October 13, 2026, as reported by the Indo-Canadian Voice. The call is a public demand directed at the party, not a ruling by any court or electoral authority. Elections BC has not made any change to Henderson's candidacy status.
Why is the UBCIC calling for Henderson's removal?
The UBCIC states that while John Henderson was Mayor of Sechelt, he promoted a book called 'Grave Error: How The Media Misled Us.' The UBCIC describes this book as a collection of essays that minimize and deny the experiences of residential school survivors. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President, said Henderson was announced as a Conservative candidate on October 1, the day after the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which the UBCIC called 'a slap in the face.' These are the UBCIC's own characterizations. The Indo-Canadian Voice article did not include a response from Henderson or the Conservative Party.
What did Sechelt's city council do?
According to the Indo-Canadian Voice article, Sechelt's city council passed a motion rejecting residential school denialism after Henderson promoted the book. The article also states that at a subsequent council meeting, councillors wore orange shirts in solidarity with residential school survivors. These are events reported by the outlet. No date for either council action was given in the article. John Henderson's time as Mayor of Sechelt predates the 2026 election campaign.
What did Grand Chief Stewart Phillip say?
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President, said in a statement reported by the Indo-Canadian Voice: 'The pain of Residential School denialism is deeply offensive and compounds the suffering that generations of survivors have already endured and has no place in public discourse.' He also said: 'No individual should be acclaimed by any party when they have perpetuated Residential School denialism, including Mr. Henderson.' These are direct quotes from the UBCIC statement as reported. This is the UBCIC's own characterization of Henderson's actions.
What did NDP candidate Ravi Parmar say?
Ravi Parmar, the BC NDP candidate for Langford-Highlands, was quoted by the Indo-Canadian Voice saying that Henderson's residential school denialism 'was publicly known when Lorne Doerkson approved him as a candidate.' Parmar also said: 'Even John Rustad rejected residential school denialism in his party. British Columbians deserve to know if he thinks these views are acceptable under his leadership.' These are Parmar's own claims about the Conservative leader. They are allegations about the party's judgment, not findings by any authority.
Has the BC Conservative Party responded?
The Indo-Canadian Voice article published on October 13, 2026 did not include a response from John Henderson or from the BC Conservative Party. No separate Conservative response was found at the time this article was written. Voters can view the Conservative Party's platform at /bc/provincial-2026/parties/conservative-party-of-bc.
Is John Henderson still a candidate?
Yes. Elections BC has not reported any change to John Henderson's status as the BC Conservative candidate for Powell River-Sunshine Coast. Nominations for the October 24, 2026 provincial election closed on October 3, 2026. The UBCIC's call for removal is directed at the Conservative Party, not at Elections BC, and the party has not publicly announced any change. Henderson's candidate page is at /bc/provincial-2026/candidates/john-henderson.
When and where can voters in Powell River-Sunshine Coast cast a ballot?
Advance voting for the BC provincial election runs from October 16 to October 21, 2026. Voting day is Saturday, October 24. Voters can find their assigned advance voting place through Elections BC at elections.bc.ca. The candidates for Powell River-Sunshine Coast, including John Henderson, are listed at the BC provincial 2026 candidates pages.
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