B.C. Conservative leader Doerkson dumps candidate Joachim Agou in racism row

Interim leader of the British Columbia Conservatives Lorne Doerkson has swiftly dumped a candidate in the provincial election over online posts that the NDP called racist.

Doerkson said Thursday that the posts by Victoria-Beacon Hill candidate Joachim Agou cannot be tolerated and if he is elected, he will not be part of the Conservative caucus.

Agou’s ejection from the Conservative election slate was announced about 90 minutes after the man’s posts on social media platform X were highlighted by the NDP.

Although Agou’s account has now been deleted, screenshots shared by the NDP show him saying last year that a car that drove through a pro-Palestine protest “should have reversed” over the demonstrators.

He also shared a meme using an expletive to describe Pakistan. 

Agou did not immediately respond to a requests for comment sent to his campaign.

The Conservative website describes Agou as a professional engineer and small-business owner with more than 15 years of experience in engineering research and industry. 

His biography says he was born in France, studied in the United States and came to Canada is 2011.

He is also the interim vice-president of the Victoria Conservative Association.

Doerkson said in a statement that there is “no excuse” for the posts.

He told reporters at an event earlier in the day that he hadn’t seen the allegations, but he “of course” would never support the comments.

“Trust me when I say this, I’ll be looking into them the second I leave this podium.” he said about an hour before Agou’s removal was made public.

NDP candidate Amna Shah had shared the screenshots and called on Doerkson to fire Agou immediately for what she called “horrific racism.”

Victoria-Beacon Hill is consistently considered a safe NDP riding, with the party winning the seat in every provincial election since 2005.

A representative for Elections BC said in an email that they have not received notification of a withdrawal by Agou and he remains a candidate on the ballot, noting that the ballots for Victoria-Beacon Hill have already been printed.

Shah, who is running for re-election in Surrey City Centre, told a news conference after Abou was removed that Doerkson’s decision was the “bare minimum” in the circumstance.

She said there are questions about how the Conservatives choose their candidates.

“I think British Columbians are asking some very important questions. Why was this individual allowed to run for the B.C. Conservatives? Why was he not vetted? Why did they allow this individual to have such hateful views to thrive in their party?” she said.

Spencer Chandra Herbert, who is running for re-election for the NDP in Vancouver’s West End, told the news conference that the Conservatives have a double standard and are keeping a candidate who is homophobic.

Conservative candidate Heather Maahs, seeking re-election in Chilliwack was criticized by Chandra Herbert last week for a video where she describes stories of boys in homosexual relationships as “grooming” that desensitizes children.

Doerkson appeared on CTV’s Question Period earlier this month and said he did not share Maahs’ views but that she would remain in caucus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2026.