Hill explains "disrespectful" comments; no-show in Grand Forks all-candidates forum
By Nelson Daily Editor
By Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily
The political future of BC Southern Interior Conservative candidate Stephen Hill is uncertain after he was a no show in an all-candidates forum in Grand Forks Monday night, one day after apologizing for “disrespectful” comments he made in a public forum in Nelson earlier this year.
Neither Hill nor his campaign manager Jill Prince could be reached for comment Tuesday, prior to the all candidates forum in Nelson. On Monday, Hill did not show up for a scheduled forum in Grand Forks despite confirming in advance he would attend.
A letter posted Sunday, April 17 at 4:54 p.m. by a Nelson woman on a local bulletin board system said Hill had spoken “loudly and rudely” at a CETA (Canada-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) forum sponsored by The Council of Canadians, Friday, Feb. 11 at the Nelson United Church.
The woman said Hill stood up during the question period of the forum and told the people present that they “should go home and scrub with bleach. He then uttered a veiled warning, threatening and hinting at what he was going to do to us once he was elected.”
Hill responded just over five hours later through a posting by his campaign manager Jill Prince at 10:06 p.m., saying he “did make some inappropriate comments.
“In hindsight, I should not have attended that meeting. I was not in a very good frame of mind given that I had been invited to participate as a panellist at the forum and then had my invitation revoked. Additionally, I was very tired and not feeling all that well.
“The comments I made regarding washing with bleach because of the presence of the unwashed (me) were meant to be a joke. Obviously, my joke failed miserably and I apologize to … anyone else who was offended by it.”
Hill said someone who aspired to represent the people in the BC Southern Interior riding — which includes Nelson and Rossland, where Hill resides — in the federal government should not make that kind of error in judgement.
editor@thenelsondaily.com
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