Sources in the Official Opposition BC United party have leaked a file on the "extremism" of the B.C. Conservatives' executive director, Angelo Isidorou, less than two weeks after the parties' leaders announced a deal to work together.
The document depicts Isidorou's involvement in the People's Party of Canada as a founding member, his "admiration" of right-wing figures including Donald Trump, and includes what it calls a "white power" photo of him wearing a Make America Great Again cap while making a hand gesture it says is associated with the alt-right movement.
The seven-page report titled "Angelo Isidorou's Extremism" was intended for use in the province's Oct. 19 election, but was compiled before BC United Leader Kevin Falcon suspended his party's campaign last month, urging support for the B.C. Conservatives instead.
B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad says of the claims that Isidorou is a "capable individual," and he's more concerned with defeating Premier David Eby's New Democrats than about the people working behind the scenes in his own party.
Isidorou, who describes himself as a Canadian conservative who abhors all forms of extremism, says in a statement he was being a "dumb" first-year university student when he wore the MAGA hat at the opening of the former Trump International Hotel and Tower in 2017.
He says the hand gesture is "innocuous" and he "utterly" rejects it having a meaning other than "OK."
The opposition research document also included screenshots of Isidorou's social media activity, including a post saying, "Buckle up, it's riot season," in connection to Black Lives Matter protests.
It also shared a post from Isidorou about the 2023 election success of anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, saying: "First it was Argentina — today it's the Netherlands. Tomorrow it will be Canada."
Isidorou resigned from the People's Party of Canada in 2019.
The file about Isidorou was provided to The Canadian Press by BC United sources on condition of anonymity.
The future of the party has been in doubt since Falcon's Aug. 28 announcement, with some of its MLAs now running as B.C. Conservative candidates and others as Independents.
