John Rustad was accused of fearmongering and spreading misinformation about Indigenous land rights at a town hall-style event he hosted in Smithers last weekend along with two fellow Conservative MLAs.

The former Conservative Party of BC leader was joined by Bulkley Valley-Stikine MLA Sharon Hartwell and Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman at a meeting billed as an opportunity to discuss B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, or DRIPA. But the panel was criticized over the lack of First Nations representation and the venue’s lack of space. About 100 people packed inside the Smithers legion and at least a dozen more were turned away after the hall reached capacity on Saturday evening.

Many took to the microphone to speak in favour of DRIPA — groundbreaking legislation that passed unanimously in the B.C. legislature in 2019 and is meant to provide a framework to guide reconciliation in the province.

Although Rustad voted for DRIPA, the Conservative Party of BC has now promised to repeal the legislation if it forms government.

An early comment that First Nations “wouldn’t exist” without Canada elicited gasps and some comments from the packed hall.