A Chilliwack school trustee candidate has responded to comments he made earlier this year regarding Muslim people “breeding.”
Cary Moore, who is part of a five-person slate called Trustees for Change, said a single screenshot from a Facebook group “was stripped of its context.”
He said this in response to a public statement made by the Chilliwack District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC), who posted a statement to their Facebook page on Wednesday (Sept. 2) regarding social media comments made by Moore about six months prior.
The statement reads, “The Chilliwack DPAC Executive is aware of concerns raised regarding previous statements made on social media by Cary Moore, which have come to public attention this past week following his decision to run for trustee. Mr. Moore resigned from the Chilliwack DPAC Executive in March 2026.”
It says DPAC had raised concerns with Moore about the expectations and responsibilities outlined in their code of ethics, specifically noting their “duty to respect the diversity of our school community and to keep student well-being at the center of [their] work.”
It also says, “Mr. Moore’s personal views and statements do not represent the views or position of Chilliwack DPAC, or the Chilliwack DPAC Executive, either during his time on DPAC or since his resignation.”
The Progress has confirmed that Moore resigned in March for “personal reasons.”
The DPAC statement did not explain details about Moore’s comments. However, shortly after the post was made, Moore responded publicly to the group’s statement, adding more details. Additionally, Moore’s election slate has mentioned “Islamophobia” in a media release defending him.
“I’ve never hidden from the fact that some of my wording—’breeding’ specifically—was poorly chosen, even though it echoed language extremist leaders themselves use openly. I apologized for it. I took the post down. I did the work. I explained all of this to the DPAC Executive directly, with documentation, at the time. I have serious doubts anyone reviewed it before deciding I was guilty. That’s not a process—it’s a verdict dressed up as one.”
Moore says that DPAC should apply its “commitment to ‘respect’ and ‘inclusion’” to him.
“This collapse into tribalism is unfortunate. What our community needs isn’t trial by screenshot—it’s open dialogue, good faith and a willingness to hear people out before rendering a verdict,” Moore said. “I won’t be defined by one out-of-context screenshot, recycled on cue by someone chasing clicks and timed to an election. I stand by my record, and I’m asking DPAC to correct the one they just put out.”
When The Progress reached out to Moore for further comment he said he would prefer to talk about his policy goals and how he feels he could contribute to the school board and collaborate with other trustees and the superintendent.
“I’m here now to talk about inclusion for neurodiverse kids like [his daughter], and my other passion: Indigenous education and pulling my community out of poverty,” Moore said.
Slate responds
On the same day, Trustees for Change released a statement to press in response to the DPAC post, titled “Joint Statement on the ‘Islamophobia’ Smear Against Cary Moore.”
The release reads, “Trustees for Change wish to reiterate our support for our colleague, Cary Moore and clear up some misrepresentations of his views and our own. We also want to put an end, now, to efforts by the Canadian Labour Congress candidates to distract voters and avoid the substantive discussion of policy voters need from serious candidates right now.”
They say that social media platforms, like Facebook, have been a place “for people to informally discuss their opinion and express their views in unguarded language” and are not “for the vast majority of users, a publishing platform.”
At the time the comment was posted, Moore served as the Indigenous Representative for the Chilliwack DPAC, a position that remains unfilled.
The statement also says the balancing of religious freedom with other human rights is “an important issue for us to debate freely and openly in today’s Canada” citing Quebec’s 2019 law restricting religious garments and symbols for public sector workers and repeated controversies over access to prayer rooms for Muslim students in Ontario.
“Cary Moore’s personal opinion favours laws restricting, in certain contexts, the wearing of specific religious garments, in this case niqabs and burqas. These kinds of laws are in effect around the world, not just in France, Mexico and Quebec. Muslim-majority countries like Turkey and Egypt also legally prohibit the wearing of niqabs, burqas and even hijabs in many contexts; and their laws are more restrictive and stringent in this regard than those in, for example, France and Quebec,” the statement reads.
“Our slate is not contemplating regulating religious garments in our schools in any ways. In our view, doing so would be yet another of the culture war distractions that have sapped board morale and effectiveness.
“Should the issue be brought before the board, we will ensure open, honest, comprehensive and free debate if citizens disagree with us and decide this is a priority for the board. If that happens, we will certainly act to ensure that no voice is silence and no powerful interests place their thumb on the scale.”
Moore serves on the parental advisory committee for Strathcona Elementary. He and his wife have raised 64 foster children. He currently works as a real estate agent.
READ MORE: ‘Trustees for Change’ announce candidate slate for Chilliwack school board