Vancouver Island MLA Adam Walker booted from NDP caucus after internal probe

The New Democrat member of British Columbia’s legislature representing the Vancouver Island riding has been kicked out of the party, Premier David Eby announced Sunday.

The news came in a brief statement that noted the departure of Parksville-Qualicum MLA Adam Walker from the NDP caucus, but offered few specifics.

A statement from Eby’s office said his termination was the result of an internal investigation that stemmed from an unspecified human resources complaint.

Walker has represented the riding for the past three years and will now run for the Legislature as an independent.

“This thorough investigation uncovered misconduct by MLA Walker,” said a statement from Walker, who served as parliamentary secretary for the sustainable economy until Sunday.

“As a result, Mr Walker will no longer be a member of the Cabinet Group and will no longer be a Parliamentary Secretary.”

The statement said no further details would be released because the matter is a human resources matter.

Walker, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, was elected to the state legislature in 2020.

A brief biography on the BC government website says he served two years as an elected councilor in Qualicum Beach, BC, before moving into provincial politics. It said he also owned and operated a local technology business for 15 years, and ran a small farm with his wife.

The first-term MLA recently made headlines after he wrestled a deer to save his dog, he told CBC’s All Points West Last Monday.

His departure from the NDP caucus leaves the governing party with 56 seats in the state legislature.

The official opposition, BC United, has 26 seats in the legislature. While the BC Green Party and British Columbia Conservatives each have two, the latter doubled its seat count last week after Bruce Banman, MLA for Abbotsford South, left BC United and joined the Conservatives.