WATCH: Eby scolds Conservative MLA Dew for 'sexism' and ‘gym attire’ in unusual point of order

VANCOUVER — BC Premier David Eby rose on a point of order early in the legislature on Thursday to call out Conservative MLA Gavin Dew for an apparent violation of the House dress code, saying it looked “as if the vote interrupted his trip to the gym.”.“The member for Kelowna-Mission—his conduct yesterday was sexist and inappropriate,” Eby began. “And now he shows up today dressed as if the vote interrupted his trip to the gym.”Eby went on to note that the Speaker had recently reminded all members to dress in contemporary business attire. “The member has disrespected this House now two days in a row,” he continued, “and I ask that you issue a direction to the member.”The Speaker did not uphold the complaint or issue any direction to Dew.Eby’s reference to “sexist and inappropriate” conduct appears to stem from comments Dew made earlier in the week during debate. In those remarks, the Kelowna-Mission MLA accused an NDP cabinet minister of “sitting meekly and deferring to men who wear suits.”Many in the House viewed those comments as sexist. .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.”.NDP MLA for Richmond-Steveston Kelly Greene took to X on Thursday to offer a “Happy International Women’s Week to everyone except Gavin Dew I guess.”.In a written response provided exclusively to The Western Standard, Dew provided added context to the remarks he made.“In my remarks I referenced comments previously made in the House by NDP MLA Kelly Green during the daily reflection. My point was to highlight the irony of the government’s own rhetoric,” Dew said.“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.”.Returning to the premier's point of order, meanwhile, in terms of Dew’s attire itself, those details were later confirmed by former BC Conservative and now independent MLA for Penticton-Summerland Amelia Boultbee, who said on X, “He was in a hoodie again today,” before noting that the “clothes aren’t the big issue here but the general disrespect,” which Boultbee described as “looking cumulative.”.In another statement to The Western Standard, Dew explained the circumstances behind his attire, attributing it to travel disruptions rather than disrespect."I was still wearing yesterday’s travel clothes when I Zoomed into the legislature for a vote," Dew said. "I had just gotten off a flight delayed overnight and headed straight to a meeting in my riding when the vote was called,” referring to Tara Armstrong’s private member's bill and the subsequent division vote moments earlier.Dew added that such issues are common for MLAs from rural ridings: "This was an unusual hangup for me, but it’s every trip home for many of our more rural MLAs. David Eby may not understand the challenges of travelling to and from ridings outside the Lower Mainland, but this stuff happens all the time."He also suggested Eby's outburst was politically motivated: "I doubt his outburst had anything to do with me. He’s clearly feeling the pressure as his polling collapses and his cabinet colleagues prepare their leadership campaigns. Like they said in WW2 bombers, if you’re taking fire you’re probably right over the target.”This isn't the first time a Canadian politician has faced scrutiny over their attire, or lack thereof, while participating in parliamentary or legislative assembly proceedings.In May 2022, Liberal MP Shafqat Ali apologized for a "lapse in judgement" after being spotted in a washroom stall during a virtual House of Commons meeting. The year before, fellow Liberal MP Liberal MP Will Amos was caught on a virtual parliamentary feed appearing to urinate while his camera was on, just a month after a separate incident where he was seen naked on another Zoom call.

WATCH: Eby scolds Conservative MLA Dew for 'sexism' and ‘gym attire’ in unusual point of order

Related Stories