Chapman resides in Surrey with his wife Kerry-Lynne Findlay, a lawyer-turned politician who is a former Member of Parliament.[1] Together they have four adult children.[2][3] He has a background in acting, producing, broadcasting, writing, and voice coaching. Some of his career highlights include acting in commercials for major brands including Coca-Cola, Sears, and Honda.[1] He also worked as an actor with minor roles in films, including Freddy vs. Jason and The Lizzie McGuire Movie and as a small business owner.[2][3][4]
During the election, Chapman repeatedly apologized for past racist comments and controversial statements listed below, after former BC Liberal MLA and current CKNW radio host Jas Johal drew attention to them.[5][7]
On October 14, 2024, Chapman posted on social media that he had received legal advice not to continue commenting on his previous social media posts. Global News reporters sought to interview him at his campaign office the next day but he was unavailable for questions.[8] When asked whether Chapman would be allowed to sit with the party caucus if elected, BC Conservative leader John Rustad explained that he would not comment further as Chapman had provided clarification on his statements, and had also hired a lawyer. He added that it was up to British Columbians to choose between Chapman or a continued New Democratic government.[8]
Chapman went on to defeat NDP candidate Haroon Ghaffar with 58.8% of the votes, winning a seat in the Legislative Assembly of BC.[5] He currently serves in the official opposition's shadow cabinet as the critic for Transit and ICBC.[1]
Controversies
2015
In November, Chapman shared a video from fake news website called "Jew News" that misrepresented refugees upset with Macedonian police restrictions as refusing Red Cross packages because of the cross and being non-halal. Chapman called for a boycott of Air Canada because of its role in airlifting Syrian refugees to Canada.[3]
Chapman also made a Facebook post describing Palestinians as "inbred walking, talking, breathing time bombs.". He also described Muslims as inbred and speculated that "coexistence with Islam" was impossible. The National Council of Canadian Muslims criticized his comments as Islamophobic and the B.C. Muslim Association stated that Chapman should resign as a candidate.
2017
In January, after Donald's Trump victory in the 2016 United States presidential election, Chapman, who had posted pro-Trump content on social media, posted a graphic indicating the proper way to commit suicide by gunshot to help "those liberals who said they would kill themselves if Trump were elected".[9]
In August 2024, one of Chapman's campaign social media accounts reposted a meme that public health harm reduction policies were akin to the fate of the Warsaw Ghetto boy during the Holocaust.[10]
Chapman also appeared on a podcast and referred to the mainstream narrative around Canadian Indian residential school gravesites as a "massive fraud" and cult-like, comparing it to Jonestown and Charles Manson.[12] Chapman also said that Canadians should feel proud of their national history.[5] The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs condemned the comments as racist and called for Chapman to be removed as a candidate. Chapman issued a statement saying that the clip was being taken out of context and said that he "[had] an immense amount of respect and love for First Nations people and their historic suffering."[13]
Apology
In October 2024, Chapman offered his apologies to all those hurt by his past controversial statements in a statement to Global News stating that his statements "were completely unacceptable", and unreflective of who he is today.[14] He specifically notes the respect and admiration he has for Palestinian and Muslim communities and has taken full responsibility for his past actions.[14] On his campaign trail he also spoke to two fellow Muslim candidates, personally apologizing to them, and has noted travelling to Muslim-majority countries to "build meaningful relationships".[15]