The B.C. Conservatives have dropped their candidate in a Vancouver Island riding over social media posts a B.C. NDP candidate called out as “horrific racism.” Joachim Agou is running in the NDP stronghold of Victoria-Beacon Hill—but has become the first candidate of the 2026 campaign to be disavowed by a party. CTV News caught up with Agou in the capital Thursday and asked about the concerns raised over his presence on the X platform. “I’ll look into it,” he said. In a news release earlier in the day, the B.C. NDP alleged Agou’s posts “attacked the Pakistani community as ‘a s**thole,’” said a car that drove through a group of pro-Palestinian protesters “should have reversed” through them as well, and “celebrated white supremacist politicians.” Agou’s X account is no longer publicly accessible, so CTV News was unable to view the contents of the posts. NDP candidate Amna Shah shared screenshots of some of them while calling for his removal. Asked about the posts at an unrelated news conference, interim B.C. Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson said he was unaware of their contents but would be “looking into these allegations” immediately. He confirmed Agou had been expelled from the party shortly after in a brief statement. “There is no excuse for this. I will not tolerate it. The candidate in Victoria-Beacon Hill is no longer a Conservative candidate,” said Doerkson. “If elected, he will not serve in the caucus.” Hamish Telford, associate professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley, said it was a wise decision to part ways with Agou, particularly given the political realities of that riding. “It was an expedient move,” Telford said. “Because this candidate stood no chance of winning.” With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Rob Buffam
