Former cabinet minister Selina Robinson resigns from NDP caucus, says she felt unsupported as Jewish woman

Missed opportunity for much needed dialogue:

…In her remarks, Robinson said she felt unsupported as a Jewish woman in her party, and that there are antisemitic voices in the NDP caucus.

Robinson, first elected in 2013, had already announced her retirement and said she won’t be running again in the provincial election this October.

Minister claims double standard in caucus

Robinson resigned her cabinet post as minister of post-secondary education last month after saying modern Israel was founded on “a crappy piece of land.”

Speaking Wednesday afternoon, Robinson said there is a “double standard” within the NDP over how different groups are treated.

“There have been numerous colleagues of mine, intentionally or unintentionally, who have said antisemitic things,” she said. “The Jewish community heard apologies from them, they were accepted and things carried on.”

In contrast, Robinson said she faced continued backlash despite apologizing on multiple occasions and committing to taking anti-Islamophobia training.

“There’s a double standard,” she said, describing herself as the “lone voice,” providing the perspective of Jewish British Columbians within the provincial government.

Robinson also said her decision to step down as a cabinet minister was based on feedback from the premier that he did “not see a way forward” for her to continue in the role.

Asked for a specific example of antisemitism within the party, Robinson cited recent remarks from Burnaby North NDP MLA Janet Routledge. During a debate on the throne speech in February, Routledge compared accusations from opposition party members that the NDP government was incompetent to Nazi propaganda.

“The Holocaust ended in death camps,” Routledge said, attributing her words to a Holocaust survivor in England. “But it started with words. Words are powerful, so let’s use them to bind us together as a civilized society, not tear us apart.”

Robinson said that comparison diminished the reality of the Holocaust, when the Nazis systematically murdered six million Jews.

“To her credit, she apologized right away,” Robinson said, adding she accepted Routledge’s apology — but that same acceptance had not been granted to her.

She also cited comments from Mable Elmore, the parliamentary secretary for anti-racism, whom Robinson said had “outraged the Jewish community” with remarks about the Middle East conflict in November.

“She didn’t lose her role as a result of those comments that were hurtful to that community, but I did lose my role, I was asked to step down,” she said, without further describing Elmore’s remarks.

Robinson said she had asked Premier David Eby if she could work with Muslim and Jewish communities to promote dialogue between them.

She said she wanted to work with the two communities that were “in agony and pain and suffering and fear, and reduce the division that we are seeing because I think that’s the role of government.”

“The premier’s office said they weren’t interested in doing that and that really shattered my heart,” she said.

“If government’s not interested then I can’t be part of a government that chooses to be silent while people are suffering.”

Robinson, who has also previously served as finance minister, said she hadn’t heard from Eby or any other members of the B.C. NDP caucus since informing them of her decision.

NDP house leader denies claims

Speaking to media Wednesday, NDP house leader Ravi Kahlon denied Robinson’s claims of antisemitism or double standards, and said the concerns Robinson voiced during her resignation had not previously been raised by her in caucus.

In his written statement, Eby said Robinson had “made a mistake, and she was doing the work to address the harm that was caused.”

“I wish she had brought her concerns to me directly so we could have worked through them together.”

Kahlon said both the premier and other parties had spoken out on several occasions against instances of antisemitism, including as recently as the past week.

“What we can do is make sure B.C. continues to be a welcoming place for everyone,” he said.

Source: Former cabinet minister Selina Robinson resigns from NDP caucus, says she felt unsupported as Jewish woman