Apologies flow following B.C. Liberal Rich Coleman's Holocaust comments in the legislature

Rich Coleman, B.C.'s former deputy premier and current MLA for Langley East, apologized for comments he made in the legislature over a new bill in which he compared the treatment of farmers to Holocaust victims.

On Thursday, Coleman rose to speak toBill 15, an amendment to the Agricultural Land Commission Act, which only allows the province, a First Nation, local government or a public body to apply to have land excluded from the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).

Coleman took issue that the amendment does not seem to refer to actual people, in this case farmers. The NDP argues the bill will help ease land speculation.

WATCH: Rich Coleman makes the comparison that got him into trouble

Rich Coleman compares farmers' rights to Holocaust victims in B.C. Legislature

5 years ago

Duration 1:51

Coleman was speaking to Bill 15 on May 2, 2019

"I find it difficult to talk to this bill, because I have been here for 23 years and have neverseen a more bigoted piece of legislation," he said as NDPmembers heckled him before going on to say:"on a day like today when we witnessed people whose rights were takenaway from them in the 1940s."

On Thursday, Holocaust survivors recounted their personal stories at a special ceremony at the legislature toremember the six million Jewish people who were murdered by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945.

'Over the top and shameful'

NDP MLAs such as Nicholas Simons reacted to Coleman's comments. Simons says he's one generation removed from someone negatively affected by fascism.

"I certainly hope he wasn't drawing a comparison to the language that we've included in a bill to protect agricultural land with horrors of previous governments that erode entire communities' rights," he said in the legislature Thursday.

"[It] seems completely over the top, absolutely over the top... and a bit shameful I would say."

• New Agricultural Land Reserve regulations take effect

Simons says the change in the billrequires local governments, rather than individuals,to make applications to remove land from the ALR.

Later on Thursday, Coleman apologized for the comments, saying in a tweet, "because of the emotion of today I drew an analogy [that] was insensitive, I apologize to any who took offence."

In a post on his Facebook page, B.C. Liberal PartyLeader Andrew Wilkinson said the comments were, "absolutely inappropriate."