British Columbia┬аPost-Secondary Education Minister Selina Robinson is stepping down amid an┬аoutcry over her remarks that modern Israel was founded on “a crappy piece of land.”
Premier David Eby says Robinson’s “belittling” remarks were incompatible with her remaining in cabinet, although she will stay in the NDP caucus. He said Robinson’s focus will now be on addressing “the depth of the hurt that she has caused”┬аby her remarks.
Eby had faced mounting calls for the removal of Robinson since the remarks last week that infuriated pro-Palestinian groups and other critics who called them racist and Islamophobic.┬а
The premier┬аtold a news conference that he and Robinson agreed on her decision to quit her position, which came after two apologies from her, as well as a commitment that she would undertake anti-Islamophobia training.
Robinson has issued a statement saying the decision was made after several discussions with the premier and other colleagues over the weekend.
“This decision does not excuse my harmful comments, nor does it absolve me of the work I am committed to doing,” she said.
“While I had previously decided not to run again in the next election I remain committed to my constituents for the remainder of my term.”
Premier David Eby says Selina Robinson will step down as a cabinet minister following public pressure after she said the region where the state of Israel was established was previously a ‘crappy piece of land with nothing on it.’
Protests and calls for removal
Eby announced the resignation┬аMonday afternoon in a hastily organized news conference after days of┬аheavy criticism┬аof Robinson.
More than a dozen British Columbia mosques and Islamic associations had sent a letter to Eby calling for Robinson to be removed from her role.
They said no NDP MLA or candidate for the next provincial election┬аis welcome in their sacred spaces until the premier takes action.
On Monday, groups┬аprotested outside the provincial NDP caucus retreat in Surrey, B.C., with organizers delivering the signatures of more than 11,000 people asking for Robinson’s resignation.
Eby was due to make a housing announcement at 11:30 a.m. PT Friday in Coquitlam┬аwith Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon and others, but that was cancelled around 11 a.m. in favour of a news conference alone from government offices in downtown Vancouver.
On Friday, Robinson apologized┬аon X┬аfor the comments she made at a public panel, saying they were┬а“disrespectful.” She said she┬аhad been referring to the land having limited natural resources.
The modern state of Israel was created in 1948 out of land that was previously British-administered Palestine.
On Monday,┬аthe┬аMLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville issued a more detailed apology in a statement sent to media outlets.
It said she understood she had broken the trust of many people, and is committed to┬а“taking part in anti-Islamophobia training to more deeply understand the concerns that have been expressed to me.”
Minister of Post-Secondary Education Selina Robinson made the remarks Jan. 30 at a public panel organized and posted by BтАЩnai Brith Canada. She has since apologized.
“I am committed to making amends, learning from the pain I have caused and doing whatever I can to rebuild relationships,” Robinson said in the statement.
Adam Olson, B.C. Green Party┬аMLA for Saanich North and the Islands since 2017, said on Monday morning that there should be consequences for Robinson.
“The premier has a responsibility to ensure that his cabinet is accountable,” he said.┬а
“There was a time in this province, there was a time in this country, where members, when they brought the government name into disrepute, would have stepped down for much less than this.”
David Eby said he has accepted the apology of, and expressed his disappointment with, Selina Robinson over remarks she made about the Middle East. At a Jan. 30 public panel, she referred to the region prior to the establishment of the state of Israel as a ‘crappy piece of land with nothing on it’.
Hamish Telford, associate professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley, said Eby is facing political harm from the Robinson scandal, with his government’s throne speech and annual budget coming up later this month.
“Obviously, the government wants to get back on message as quickly as possible,” he said Monday morning, prior to the news conference.┬а
Telford said if┬аthe harm caused by Robinson’s comments┬аwas┬аnot adequately addressed, and quickly, more pressure would mount.
“I don’t think the government can withstand or take much time to deal with this,” he said.
