B.C. NDP MLAs have written to B.C. Conservative officials calling for action to reverse its suppression of Surrey and South Asian voters in its leadership race. 

Surrey-Newton MLA Jessie Sunner sent the letter this morning on behalf of the NDP’s Surrey MLAs. The letter raises concerns about the lack of a membership verification site in Surrey, and about South Asian members being disqualified without any explanation. 

“We first raised these concerns over a week ago,” wrote Sunner. “Unfortunately, Surrey’s Conservative MLAs have remained silent and it falls to B.C. NDP MLAs to advocate for our community.”

The NDP statement claimed that the leaked B.C. Conservative data shows that as of this week, the party has verified only 4 percent of its South Asian members , compared with 27% of all voters.

“The effect of these choices is voter suppression of the South Asian community,” Sunner wrote. “This risks undermining the legitimacy of the race and electing a leader without any mandate from Surrey.”

B.C. NDP MLAs for Surrey are calling on B.C. Conservative officials to 1) immediately provide at least one verification site in Surrey and 2) publicly release the number of members in each riding who were disqualified, and the reasons for the disqualifications.

“Without serious and urgent action to address these concerns, people in Surrey will be left to conclude that the B.C. Conservatives want the community’s votes and donations at election time but shut us out of meaningful participation in your party,” said Sunner. “This leadership race is showing who the B.C. Conservatives really are.”