Okanagan Conservative MLA votes against NDP motion to condemn Trump

A motion to condemn president Donald Trump and back a coordinated response to his threats to Canadian sovereignty hit the floor in BC legislature Monday, and the MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream Tara Armstrong was one of the few to vote against it.

BC Conservative MLAs Armstrong, Dallas Brodie, Heather Maahs, Jordan Kealy and Brent Chapman voted against the motion that condemns the tariff threat and endorses the “nationally-coordinated ‘Team Canada’ plan to respond with proportionate retaliatory action if necessary.”

Armstrong did not promptly respond to a request for comment but she took to X.com to defend her position.

“OF COURSE I’m against the tariffs. I’m also against the NDP now deciding to wrap themselves in the Canadian flag, call themselves Team Canada and engage in more divisive political theatre. I’m working hard to save BC jobs, not engage in cheap political game playing,” Armstrong wrote in her post.

The BC NDP called out the five MLAs who voted against the motion.

“Armstrong has claimed the BC NDP ‘brought the tariff threat upon us in the first place.’ Maahs has said ‘Eby needs to comply’ with Trump,” BC NDP said in the release.

BC NDP MLA Jennifer Blatherwick was the one who brought the motion forward and she said Canadian leaders need to show strength in this moment.

“Regardless of how John Rustad and his MLAs voted on this motion, their opposition to retaliatory action against Donald Trump has been consistent and clear. They can’t hide their position to respond to Trump’s tariffs with weakness instead of strength,” she said in the release.

“Canadians expect their leaders to stand up to Donald Trump with a tough and strategic approach and that is exactly what we will continue to do.”