File titled "extremism" on rival party executive Isidorou leaked by BC United sources

An opposition research document on the "extremism" of Angelo Isidorou, the executive director of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, has been leaked by BC United sources. This leak comes less than two weeks after the parties’ leaders announced their collaboration for the fall provincial election.

The document details Isidorou's founding role and organizing activities with the People's Party of Canada, his "admiration" for right-wing figures such as Donald Trump, and includes a "white power" photo of Isidorou wearing a Make America Great Again cap and making a hand gesture linked to the alt-right movement.

Titled "Angelo Isidorou's Extremism," the seven-page report was prepared for the October 19 election. However, it was compiled before BC United Leader Kevin Falcon suspended his party's campaign last month and instead endorsed support for the B.C. Conservatives to avoid vote splitting that could benefit the New Democrats.

In a Monday interview, B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad expressed his support for the 27-year-old Isidorou, calling him a "capable individual." Rustad emphasized his focus on defeating Premier David Eby’s NDP over the claims about Isidorou.

“So, from my perspective Angelo is a capable individual, and what I am focused on right now is making sure we bring an end to David Eby and these destructive policies and their approach to governing B.C.," Rustad stated.

He added, “I’m not worried about people working behind the scenes. The NDP and their affiliates are going to do everything they can to distract from the damage they’ve done to B.C.”

The file was provided to The Canadian Press by BC United sources under anonymity.

Isidorou, who describes himself as a conservative who opposes all forms of extremism, stated on Monday that he was merely 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 Vancouver seven years ago.

"In my first year of university, which was 2017, I attended a protest alongside other students," he said. "At this protest, we wore MAGA hats to irritate some people. I was being dumb and I think a lot of people have moments from first-year university they aren't proud of."

He dismissed the hand gesture as "innocuous" and "utterly" rejected any meaning beyond "OK."

Isidorou also mentioned that he had been highly critical of former U.S. President Trump, especially after Trump contested the 2020 election results.

Isidorou joined the People's Party of Canada in 2018 but resigned in 2019 after expressing concerns about racism and extremism within the party.

"I witnessed it and I was subject to death threats from the far right because of it," Isidorou said.

In a detailed explanation of his resignation posted on Medium in March 2019, Isidorou focused on differences with newcomers to the party who he felt had a "radical agenda."

He wrote: "I love every single policy in this party, and I love the ethos that Maxime (Bernier) espouses as a leader, but I’m saddened to say that the party organization itself is completely compromised."

Rustad noted that Isidorou was part of the B.C. Conservatives when he was confirmed as leader in March 2023. He also pointed out that other prominent figures had been photographed making similar gestures without facing similar scrutiny.

“It’s interesting when you see that Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau and Kamala Harris and so many others made the same symbol, but nobody asked them that question," Rustad said.

The Conservative Party of B.C. provided photos of these figures making similar hand gestures but did not elaborate on the context.

The BC United research document also included screenshots of Isidorou's social media activity, such as a post stating, "Buckle up, it's riot season," in relation to Black Lives Matter protests, and a post about anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders' success in the Netherlands, saying: "First it was Argentina — today it's the Netherlands. Tomorrow it will be Canada."

Another aspect of the BC United document focused on a failed defamation lawsuit filed by Isidorou and others against former Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, who was ultimately awarded over $100,000 in legal costs.

Isidorou and other members of the Non-Partisan Association had sued Stewart in 2021 for citing articles about Isidorou's behavior at the Trump Tower opening as evidence of "open support for hate groups" among the NPA.

Isidorou later resigned from the NPA.

The document also highlighted Isidorou's "admiration of Lauren Southern," a Canadian right-wing political activist and commentator.

Southern ran as a Libertarian candidate in Langley-Aldergrove in the 2015 federal election and was recently associated with Tenet Media, a Canadian company accused by U.S. officials of receiving funds for a secret propaganda scheme with Russian government messaging. Southern, responding on social media, denied wrongdoing.

The political landscape in B.C. has shifted significantly since Falcon’s announcement on August 28 that the Official Opposition would suspend its campaign and support Rustad's Conservatives.

The future of BC United remains uncertain, with some of its MLAs now running as B.C. Conservatives and others as Independents.

Three BC United MLAs — Peter Milobar, Trevor Halford, and Ian Paton — have announced they will seek re-election as B.C. Conservatives, while their former party colleagues Mike Bernier, Dan Davies, and Tom Shypitka will run as Independents.

BC United stated last week that it plans to run some candidates in the fall election to maintain the party's name for future elections.