A British Columbia mayor who was censured earlier this year has taken legal action to have the sanctions against him lifted.
In March this year, Cornell He became embroiled in controversy when local Aboriginal people accused his wife of circulating a controversial book about residential schools.
After the Lhtako Dene First Nation published an open letter, city council members asked Paull at a council meeting whether he agreed with his wife's actions.
The mayor said he disagreed with his wife's actions but did not criticize her.
Shortly after the meeting, the board members voted in April Sanctions and condemnation Paul said his actions jeopardized the city's relationship with the Indigenous community.
Breaking news from Canada and around the world
Sent to your email, as it happens.
Paull also allegedly tried to distribute the book at a previous district meeting—but he Deny it categorically. But the petition states that he had shown the book to two regional directors.
“I don’t know how we’re going to fix it, but hopefully tonight this is a start … in how we look at international issues, how we repair our relationship with Indigenous peoples,” Councilman Scott Elliott said.
Paull's travel and lobbying budgets were cut and he was removed from organisations that require parliamentary approval, including regional councils. He was also asked to make a “sincere” apology.
But earlier this week, a petition was filed in British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver asking a judge to overturn the censure.
The 23-page court document said the sanctions issued on April 30 were unreasonable.
“The parliament ambushed (Paull) during the parliamentary session on April 2,” the petition reads in part.
“Council held a public hearing on the allegations surrounding the book against Paul and his wife without informing him. This resulted in Council passing Resolution No. 24-10-110 (a report for possible censure), which was not on the agenda for that meeting. This violated the rights of petitioners.”
The petition cites a previous condemnation in British Columbia as precedent.
The statement also said, “The allegation in this case is that the mayor’s wife (who is not a member of council) shared the book with someone and the mayor later showed the book to two district supervisors after a Cariboo district meeting.
“Given the legal and factual limitations, this is not a reasonable or plausible basis for censuring and sanctioning elected members of the City Council.”
Global News has reached out to the City of Quesnel for comment.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
