By Paul Vieira

OTTAWA--Canadian telecommunications company Telus Corp. said Wednesday a member of its board of directors stepped down after comments he made on live television regarding race relations in the context of social unrest in the U.S.

Telus, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, said it accepted the resignation of Stockwell Day, a former cabinet minister in a previous Conservative administration. The resignation was effective immediately, the company said in a two-paragraph statement.

Telus added the views expressed by Mr. Day during a discussion on Tuesday on Canadian Broadcasting Corp.'s 24-hour cable-news network "are not reflective of the values and beliefs of our organization."

During the panel discussion, Mr. Day said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to "insinuate ... that all Canadians are somehow racist because our system is systemically racist." Mr. Day's comments were made during a panel discussion about social unrest in the U.S. triggered by the death of George Floyd.

"Yes, there are a few idiot racists hanging around but Canada is not a racist country. Our system is not systemically racist," Mr. Day said. Pressed by the network host, he added: "Should we all be more sensitive about any kind of hurting or insulting people, whether racist or not? Should I have gone through school and been mocked because I had glasses and was called four eyes? No of course not. But are Canadians largely racist? No we are not."

During a press conference on Tuesday, Mr. Trudeau was asked about a decision to forcibly remove a crowd of peaceful protesters in front of the White House before President Trump could walk to attend a photo opportunity at a church nearby. Mr. Trudeau paused for over 20 seconds before answering, and said now was a time for Canadians to recognize that "we too have our challenges" when it comes to racism.

"There is systemic discrimination in Canada which means our systems treat Canadians of color, Canadians who are racialized differently than they do others," Mr. Trudeau said.

Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 03, 2020 19:01 ET (23:01 GMT)