Vancouver Police Board Vice-Chair Forced Out Over Comments on Christianity, ‘Woke Culture’

Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba, former vice-chair of the Vancouver Police Board. Courtesy of Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba

Vancouver Police Board vice-chair Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba was asked to resign following comments she made on social media stating that “woke culture” and the sidelining of religions such as Christianity have affected Canadian identity and values.

Sakoma-Fadugba made the comments on Nov. 20, later posted on Reddit, in which she said the “push” for secular education was about “erasing Christian values from the lives of our children.” She argued that Canadian identity is being weakened by prioritizing other cultures’ beliefs over Christianity, and that the rise of “woke culture” has undermined the concept of family.

The Vancouver Police Board requested her resignation on Nov. 22, saying her comments did not align with the board’s values.

“Recent statements posted on social media by the vice chair of the Vancouver Police Board do not reflect the values of the board and are inconsistent with our code of conduct,” board chair Frank Chong said in a Nov. 22 statement. “This afternoon, I requested and received Comfort’s resignation from the Vancouver Police Board.”

Sakoma-Fadugba, originally from Nigeria, joined the board in January 2022. At the time the board said, “She brings an impressive background in business, community service and expanding equity, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of life.”  She was elected board vice-chair on June 20.

The board is responsible for providing civilian oversight to policing in Vancouver.

Chong said in the statement that while he values Sakoma-Fadugba’s “many contributions” to the board since 2022, “these statements have made her continued service on the board untenable.”

B.C. Minister of Public Safety Garry Begg reacted to Sakoma-Fadugba’s comments, saying they “do not reflect the values of British Columbians.”

“These comments spread hate and division amongst communities and they will not be tolerated,” Begg said in an email statement to The Epoch Times. “Premier David Eby and I are committed to upholding these values and standing against hate and discrimination.”

Sakoma-Fadugba says her right to freedom of expression is being trampled.

“I faced pressure to resign from the Vancouver Police Board for expressing concerns shared by millions,” Sakoma-Fadugba said in a Nov. 24 social media post. “In a place where even a Black woman can be accused of being racist and a Christian woman labeled a fascist, what hope do others have to raise their voices?”

Sakoma-Fadugba told The Epoch Times she was not given the opportunity to explain her comments, which she said were not meant to be offensive.

“Nobody asked me to clarify. I was simply told to disappear,” she said. “I had a bunch of individuals sending me horrible messages telling me ‘I hope you die.’

“I wasn’t fired, but I was given the opportunity to resign, and I resigned,” she added.

The Epoch Times contacted the board and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim (former board chair) for comment but did not hear back by publication time.

Social Media Comments

Screenshots posted on Reddit show Sakoma-Fadugba commenting on a recent Diwali celebration her son was invited to. She later wrote that the “push” for secular education “isn’t about religion” but about “erasing Christian values from the lives of our children.”

Sakoma-Fadugba then wrote she had “nothing against Hinduism,” saying her comments were aimed at the impact on Canadian identity of replacing the values of Christianity, which she described as Canada’s “dominant” religion, with those of “a new dominant group.”

“Why is it that we’re able to celebrate Diwali, and you’re able to teach the children about what Diwali is according to Hindu religion, but you’re not allowed to teach children about what Christmas is according to Christian religion,” she told The Epoch Times.

In another comment, Sakoma-Fadugba wrote that “mass immigration without considering cultural integration, combined with a growing aversion to assimilation” may result in Canada losing “a shared identity.”

“I’m not saying that Canada needs to be an all-white country, because that would mean that I’m saying I need to go,” she said. “What I’m saying is that, hand in hand with mass migration, [there] needs to be cultural integration so that we don’t have wars in Canada in five or 10 years.”

In another comment, Sakoma-Fadugba questioned the rise of “woke culture,” leading to the removal of Canadian heroes like Terry Fox and images of veterans from passports. She added that the new culture “pits children against their parents,” referring to the lack of required parental consent for gender transitions.

Sakoma-Fadugba said the comment was not criticism of the transgender community but about “parental rights.” She said current trends “villainize the parent” if they do not agree with their children’s decisions.

“What I was saying is that we should not be allowing for this breakdown of families,” she said. “Families are so important. I feel like families are sacred.”

Sakoma-Fadugba said she will seek advice on whether to take legal action.