Alberta NDP candidate Samir Kayande (Calgary-Elbow) said he was disappointed to see Conservative MP Greg McLean (Calgary Centre) “support the hateful, foreign-funded white supremacist blockade threatening Ottawa.”.“They have swastikas and Confederate flags,” said Kayande in a LinkedIn post. .“Symbols that stand for my erasure and my children's death.”.The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) published a memo in October which disputed the federal government’s claims the Freedom Convoy was infiltrated by Nazis. .READ MORE: Intelligence memo debunks government claim that Freedom Convoy was infiltrated by Nazis.CSIS said a lone swastika flag spotted outside Parliament Hill was offensive, but not representative of protestors. .“The Canadian flag was the most prevalent flag on display in the crowd, likely reflecting participants’ belief they are patriotic Canadians standing up for their democratic rights,” it said. .Kayande said there was a child at the Renfrew Pool with a Confederate flag hat in the change room in 2018. While he would have likely left it alone, he decided to call it out. .The boy was at the Renfrew Pool with his grandfather. He asked the grandfather if the Confederate flag was on his grandson’s hat. .The grandfather confirmed the hat had the Confederate flag on it. He bought it in Georgia. .Kayande said he opposed the hat because the flag is a symbol of slavery. The grandfather disputed that and gave him a lecture about southern pride, which he tuned out. .The one element of this story which stands out to him is none of the white guys in the change room backed him up. .The Alberta NDP candidate went on to say the white men have likely forgotten. He added maybe one of them remembers this incident and thinks about how all they had to do was speak out. .Kayande said a person who wears this flag should not be allowed in a public pool. He reported it to the desk clerk. .The clerk did not care. He reported it to 311, as he wanted the man banned from City of Calgary facilities. .He received a call back from a Calgary Parks employee a few days later. The employee said there is no city policy banning these symbols in facilities. .This ordeal caused him to never go back to the Renfrew Pool. .Kayande concluded by saying this incident is one he remembers when he sees Confederate flags. He added it makes him “very, very angry, not gonna lie.”.“And I remember those dudes in the change room, minding their own business with hate speech in their midst,” he said. .The Alberta United Conservative Party pointed out in February Kayande and Alberta NDP candidate Nagwan Al-Guneid (Calgary-Glenmore) did work for the Pembina Institute. .READ MORE: Two Calgary NDP candidates have affiliations with anti-oil and gas think tank.“It’s important for Calgarians to know about the close relationship between the Alberta NDP and anti-oil groups like the Pembina Institute,” said Alberta UCP MLA Prasad Panda (Calgary-Edgemont). .The Pembina Institute said it is working to solve present energy challenges, which it believes can be done by reducing the effects of fossil fuels and promoting renewable energy. .Kayande could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
