Marilyn North Peigan has apologized for the tweets she posted earlier this week after a video showing Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean surfaced
North Peigan posted the apology to social media Thursday afternoon after she was removed as the Calgary-Klein NDP candidate by the party Wednesday. North Peigan was also a candidate in Ward 7 during Calgary’s last municipal election.
Brandon Stevens, NDP Provincial Secretary said the behaviour shown in the videos that appear to have Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean was racist and unacceptable. McLean appeared in a video that mocked Indigenous Peoples.
“We hope he will be held accountable in a substantive manner,” a statement from Stevens read.
McLean agreed to withdraw from boards, committee and commissions during Tuesday’s combined meeting of council. City council spent several hours behind closed doors to move councillors into different organizational positions after McLean’s withdrawal.
“Notwithstanding this, the statements made on Twitter by a candidate for the NDP regarding the councillor’s family and the Stampede are not appropriate and do not reflect the views of the Alberta NDP,” Stevens wrote.
“The publication of these posts came after a continued pattern of behaviour that undermines this candidate’s ability to work with, or stand on behalf of, the Alberta NDP and its members.”
As a result, the Alberta NDP removed North Peigan as the candidate. They said it was now an internal party matter and wouldn’t be providing additional comment.
‘I take full responsibility for the offending posts.” – North Peigan
North Peigan, a Blackfoot woman from the Piikani Nation, posted after McLean’s apology for the video offense to Indigenous Peoples.
North Peigan allegedly retweeted a video clip of McLean with a follow up tweet alleging he and a family member were both corrupt. It suggested that a family member was on the Calgary Stampede board. Those posts have since been deleted, North Peigan said.
“On Tuesday evening I posted a number of tweets that were untrue, disrespectful, and hurtful,” North Peigan wrote on Twitter.
“These messages were posted by me to my personal account.”
She said she apologized “unreservedly” to the people and organizations named in the posts. North Peigan said that they didn’t deserve those messages, ones that were from a place of “deep pain and trauma” from lived experiences.
North Peigan also apologized directly to McLean.
“I apologize for not engaging with these videos of you in a way that could have allowed us to move toward reconciliation,” she said.
“I denied you the opportunity to understand the trauma and pain caused by racist recordings like Brocket 99, and videos inspired by it.”
The Alberta NDP said they would also be reaching out to the Calgary Stampede to reaffirm these comments don’t reflect party views.
North Peigan also sits as a member of the Calgary Police Commission.
