VANCOUVER — Premier David Eby and other BC NDP MLAs have accused Conservative MLA Gavin Dew of “sexism” in recent Legislative Assembly exchanges, a charge Dew dismisses as a deflection from government accountability.Eby rose on a point of order Thursday to criticize Dew's conduct during debate the previous day on amendments to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.For context, Dew had accused NDP MLAs of being "whipped" into supporting the changes, specifically targeting Richmond-Steveston MLA Kelly Greene by saying she would have "railed against" such legislation in opposition but now would "sit meekly and do what she is told" and "defer to the men in suits."Eby decried those comments in a peculiar point of order in the House last Thursday."I rise on a point of order. The member for Kelowna-Mission, his conduct yesterday was sexist and inappropriate, and now he shows up today dressed as if the vote interrupted his trip to the gym.".Eby also called for the Speaker to rule on Dew's attire — a hooded sweatshirt during a Zoom appearance — citing House dress code expectations.Dew defended his remarks in an exclusive statement to The Western Standard, saying they referenced prior comments Greene made during a daily reflection in the House."My point was to highlight the irony of the government’s own rhetoric," Dew wrote. "Criticism of a minister’s performance — and her unwillingness to stand up for transparency — has absolutely nothing to do with gender. Pretending otherwise is a weak attempt by this government to change the channel."Dew also corrected an earlier Western Standard article on a related topic, noting that he used the phrase “men in suits” rather than “men wearing suits.”“The language I used was ‘men in suits,’ not ‘men who wear suits,’” Dew wrote in a follow-up email to The Western Standard and in response to an earlier story on the controversy involving his attire.“The distinction is relevant because it’s idiomatic language — like “men with clipboards.” Men in suits is an idiomatic symbol of dystopian bureaucracy — from Orwell to Kafka to the Matrix,” Dew added, while providing a clip of the speech by Green he said he was referencing in the House debate last week on the Freedom of Information Act..Despite the added context provided by Dew, many BC NDP MLAs are continuing to lambast Dew for what they consider to be "sexist" comments and conduct in the House.BC NDP Minister of Labour Jennifer Whiteside took it one step further, calling the comments “outrageous sexism” and asking, “what century does he think we’re in?”.Fellow NDP cabinet minister Ravi Parmar joined the fray, referring to Dew’s comments as “embarrassing” and telling him to “grow up.”.Meanwhile, the NDP MLA for Richmond-Steveston Kelly Greene — and the apparent subject of Dew's comments in the House — took to X last Thursday to offer a “Happy International Women’s Week to everyone except Gavin Dew I guess.”.Dew added: "After nine years in power, the NDP would rather manufacture outrage than answer for their disastrous budget, rising costs, and businesses leaving British Columbia. People in this province want their government focused on real issues — affordability, economic growth, and opportunity — not cancel culture and petty political games."The NDP's tone marks a shift after months of urging opposition and independent MLAs to "lower the temperature" in what has been a more animated session.Penticton-Summerland Independent MLA Amelia Boultbee described the legislature's recent atmosphere as charged, telling The Western Standard exclusively: "The walls in that place are alive.”
