BC Doctor Blames Media and ‘Cancel Culture’ for Provincial Conservatives’ Cutting His Candidacy

Dr. Stephen Malthouse was dropped as a B.C. Conservative Party candidate last week. Courtesy of Shea Michelle/Coastal Lifestyles Photography

Cancelled B.C. Conservative Party candidate Stephen Malthouse is blaming the prevalent “cancel culture” amplified by the media for his party’s decision to cut ties with him just hours after announcing his candidacy.

The Denman Island doctor, whose licence was suspended in 2022 for signing mask and vaccine exemptions, said he bears no ill will toward the Conservatives. Instead he is pointing the finger at political rivals and the negative press he received within hours of the Conservative Party of British Columbia announcing his candidacy March 27.

“The media has been weaponized by the current government and they will attack anyone that is challenging them,” Dr. Malthouse said in an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times. “And that is why there was such a vicious attack on me and the party.”

Multiple media outlets and social media users criticized the party for endorsing a candidate that they alleged had spread “misinformation” about the COVID-19 vaccine both during and after the pandemic.

“The reaction from the media was such that I think it made [the party] decide I was too much of a distraction from the policies that they wanted to move forward,” Dr. Malthouse said.

“I know the optics of what’s happened in the last few days … is that of cancel culture. There is an element of that. But I think what [leader] John Rustad has done is he’s tried to make the best decision possible for the party.”

The B.C. Conservative Party announced Dr. Malthouse’s candidacy on its website and social media accounts, describing him as a “seasoned family physician” who would be running in the Ladysmith-Oceanside riding. By that evening, all posts related to him had been deleted.

Party president Aisha Estey announced in a March 28 social media post that Dr. Malthouse was no longer a candidate, offering no other explanation than what was in a media statement.

“We are a new party, we have grown at a record pace, but some mistakes are bound to happen,” Ms. Estey said in the statement.

“Unfortunately, we nominated a couple of candidates who ultimately weren’t the right fit for our team. We wish them all the best, and we thank them for putting their name forward.”

Dr. Malthouse says he is disappointed to have been asked to step down, but he understands the party’s reasons.

“My history of speaking out, particularly on the COVID issue” might have caused “confusion about what the party stood for,” he said.

“I was too far out, perhaps, for the majority of voters to understand and to make an informed decision about who to vote for.”

The Epoch Times contacted both the B.C. Conservative Party and the province’s governing NDP for comment but did not receive a reply by publication.

Party Revival in Response to Past Ousters

The B.C. Conservative Party’s revival started after executives of BC United blocked conservative commentator Aaron Gunn’s bid for leadership of the party in the fall of 2021.

Mr. Gunn was attacked by the NDP for expressing views such as denying that Canada has “systemic racism” or is guilty of genocide. He then decided to rebrand the provincial Conservative Party.

In December 2023, Mr. Gunn was nominated as a candidate by the Conservative Party of Canada, running for the North Island-Powell River riding in the next federal election.

The B.C. Conservatives got a boost when then-independent MLA John Rustad crossed the floor to join the Conservatives in February 2023.

Mr. Rustad was kicked out of the B.C. Liberal ​​caucus in 2022 for his views on climate change. He was scolded by B.C. Liberal leader Kevin Falcon for speaking out on behalf of the caucus, saying “politics is a team sport.” The B.C. Liberals have been renamed as BC United since April 2023. 

The reprimand and subsequent ousting from the party came after Mr. Rustad reposted a tweet by Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore.

Mr. Rustad was acclaimed leader of the Conservatives last March.

B.C. Conservative Party leader John Rustad speaks to members of the media during a year-end availability at legislature in Victoria, B.C., on Dec. 6. The Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito

Vaccine and Mask Exemptions

Dr. Malthouse, whose family practice has spanned more than four decades, became known during the pandemic for speaking against COVID-19 mandates in the media and for writing vaccine and mask exemptions for patients.

His decision to go against public health orders has cost him dearly. He is currently being investigated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. and his licence was suspended in March of 2022 after being a member of the regulatory body since 1978. The college accused Dr. Malthouse of signing vaccine and mask exemption forms “that he knew included false statements.”

He said his decision to write exemptions was based on his belief as a doctor that all patients deserve the “autonomy” to decide what is best for their own health.

“Masks have been shown in high-quality studies to not prevent transmission of a virus but to increase Co2 levels and reduce oxygen levels and to actually make a Petri dish of bacteria and fungi” against the face, Dr. Malthouse said.

“If someone told me they don’t want to wear a mask … which fit with the science in terms of its safety and efficacy, I would give them an exemption. I felt that there was no choice.”

He had similar sentiments about people being forced to take a vaccine to preserve their livelihood.

“People were being forced against their will to take an experimental vaccine without being informed about its pros and cons,” he said.

“I felt anyone who did not want to take that vaccine had a right not to take it and I was going to help them to protect themselves and their children to the best of my ability. That’s what doctors do.”

Doctors on Tour

The college has also reprimanded Dr. Malthouse for speaking out against the vaccine.

The public notification for his suspension said he “stated medical conclusions absent any objective medical evidence, and provided diagnoses and courses of action potentially harmful to patients; and used his status as a registrant of the college to attempt to circumvent public health orders.”

At least part of the reprimand is linked to Doctors on Tour, an initiative Dr. Malthouse spearheaded with other like-minded doctors in 2021 to get the word out about “the dangers” of the COVID-19 vaccine.

He said his decision to spearhead the tour wasn’t to build his reputation—“it actually had the opposite effect.” He said he and his colleagues were “desperate” to get started because the government was introducing COVID-19 vaccinations for children.

Among the most serious results, he said, were incidents of young people dropping dead on sports fields from myocarditis.

“That’s what we went out to tell people about,” he said. “We felt it had to be done, and as doctors we were well placed to do that. We know how to read the research and how to understand it, and we know how to communicate with patients and with the general populace.”

With more than 45 years of medical experience, he has long had an interest in integrative medicine, an approach to health care that focuses on natural remedies, good nutrition, exercise, and overall wellness.

Part of the message he hoped to deliver was that traditional medicine, in this case a vaccine, wasn’t the answer.

The Doctors on Tour initiative consisted of six visits across three provinces, with the majority of stops in B.C. Meetings were typically held in small-town churches or similar venues, although there were stops in cities like Vancouver and Victoria as well.

Dubbed the “Educate Before You Vaccinate” tour, the stops drew large crowds despite public health orders to social distance and limit gathering sizes, he said, describing attendees as “desperate” for information that wasn’t being filtered through “mainstream media” and politicians.

The first tour was such a success that the doctors followed up with a second called Justice for the Vaccinated to help those dealing with vaccine injuries.

“There were some people that had six people in their family die,” Dr. Malthouse said. “People would come onto the stage and they would start crying and telling their story. And so we tried to give people a voice to speak out to let people know they were not crazy—which is what their doctors were telling them.”

Looking to the Future

As for Dr. Malthouse’s disciplinary hearing, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. tells him its investigation is still ongoing and has postponed the hearing until later this year.

The college declined to comment other than to say that Dr. Malthouse “continues to be suspended from practice.”

Whether his licence is reinstated or not, the fleeting political candidate plans to be active in BC Town Halls 2024, a non-partisan initiative to inform British Columbians about provincial legislation that “violates” their rights.

Health care is just one of the issues discussed at the town halls, but it is a topic that Dr. Malthouse is especially passionate about.

“More than a million citizens here do not have a family doctor, and walk-in clinics are closing,” he said. “Emergency departments are closing, maternity wards are closing, and people can’t get an ambulance. They’re being sent down to the United States for cancer care. Our health-care system is under attack.”

Dr. Malthouse said he will continue to back the party that dropped him and remains open to serving as a health-care adviser as needed.

He applauds the B.C. Conservative Party for its tough stance on safer supply drugs and removing SOGI from schools, as well as its commitment to rehire health care workers who were fired for refusing the vaccine.

“I still think this party has a chance to save this province, because right now it’s being driven into the dirt.”