Former Minister Selina Robinson Resigns from BC NDP, Alleging Antisemitism in Caucus
Former British Columbia cabinet minister Selina Robinson has resigned from the NDP and will now sit as an Independent, citing antisemitism within the ruling party’s caucus.
Ms. Robinson, who is Jewish, expressed that she could no longer remain in the party due to its inadequate addressing of antisemitism in the province and among her former colleagues.
She stepped down from her role as minister of post-secondary education last month after stating that modern Israel was established on “a bad piece of land.”
Her comments on Jan. 30 triggered criticism from pro-Palestinian groups, labeling them as racist and Islamophobic.
During an impromptu news conference in the hallway of the B.C. legislature on Wednesday, Ms. Robinson expressed that her spirit had been “broken” by how she was treated following her resignation from the cabinet, citing double standards.
NDP House Leader Ravi Kahlon commented, calling it “a regretful day.”
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“Selina is clearly in distress. I sincerely hope she finds inner peace as she moves ahead.”
Mr. Kahlon refuted claims of antisemitism within the NDP caucus.
Ms. Robinson mentioned that she had proposed to Premier David Eby the idea of collaborating with Muslim and Jewish communities to encourage dialogue between them.
She emphasized her desire to collaborate with these communities that are “in distress and pain and fear, and to lessen the divide that we are witnessing because I believe that is the responsibility of the government.”
“The premier’s office declined this proposal, and that really broke my heart,” she expressed.
“If the government is uninterested, then I cannot be part of a government that chooses to remain silent while people are suffering.”
Ms. Robinson highlighted the differential treatment she received compared to former colleague Mable Elmore, the parliamentary secretary for anti-racism, who, Robinson alleged, had caused outrage in the Jewish community with comments about the Middle East conflict in November.
“She was not removed from her position due to those remarks that were hurtful to that community, while I was asked to step down,” she stated, without elaborating on Ms. Elmore’s comments.
She viewed this as “a double standard that has deeply wounded the Jewish community… and has deeply wounded me as well.”
Ms. Robinson, who had previously served as finance minister, disclosed that she had not received any communication from Eby or other members of the NDP caucus since informing them of her decision.
Last month, Mr. Eby asserted that Robinson’s derogatory remarks were incompatible with her continuing in the cabinet.
Ms. Robinson had already announced her retirement and indicated that she would not be seeking re-election in the provincial election scheduled for this October.
