A member of BC Liberal leadership hopeful Kevin Falcon's campaign team has been fired after allegedly hurling misogynistic insults at a woman working for a rival candidate.
The allegations were made public Sunday by Diamond Isinger, the campaign manager for Michael Lee. She said the troubling incident took place Friday at a restaurant in downtown Vancouver, where she encountered a group of five men, most of whom were working with Falcon's campaign.
"I challenged someone at the table who had made an off-colour joke about me that I was not comfortable with," she said.
In response, one man from Falcon's team allegedly became enraged, accusing Isinger of ruining the evening and calling her an "uptight b****" and "f***ing c***."
"He insisted I shake his hand to reconcile with him in between these outbursts, and when I declined to do so, he berated me again," Isinger said. "Others at the table let this continue for a long time while I burst into tears and cried openly, because I was upset at what he was saying and the enraged tone/volume being directed at me, and because I am so tired about the sustained misconduct directed at me and others."
Eventually, the group got up and left her at the establishment, according to the statement. Isinger said she decided to share her story after trying to deal with the matter privately for two days "with no apologies or consequences" forthcoming.
On Monday, Falcon addressed the matter on social media, announcing that he has requested a third-party investigation into what happened.
The leadership candidate also said he apologized to Isinger personally on Sunday night.
"She had informed me about the specific actions of one particular individual on the team. We've since spoken to that member, and based on that conversation, there was sufficient acknowledgment of Diamond's account and I have ended the relationship between him and my campaign team," Falcon wrote.
Falcon said he's tasked his campaign co-chair, Puneet Sandhar, to identify a third-party investigator, and that he hopes to "receive full co-operation from everyone involved in order to act on the subsequent recommendations."
Isinger's statement attracted significant attention on social media, including from former BC Liberal premier Christy Clark, who applauded her for coming forward.
"By speaking out, you are helping to make change. I know many of us are utterly disgusted by what you describe but also heartened by your decision to make it public," Clark wrote. "We know it could just as easily have been any of us. Thanks for your courage."
- with files from CTV -