Selina Robinson quits NDP caucus
Posted March 6, 2024 3:37 pm.
Last Updated March 6, 2024 8:31 pm.
Coquitlam-Maillardville MLA Selina Robinson has quit the BC NDP, citing antisemitism in the ruling party’s caucus.
Robinson’s resignation was announced to her colleagues in a letter Wednesday.
The former cabinet minister, who is Jewish, says she can no longer remain in the BC NDP because it is not properly addressing antisemitism in the province or among her now-former colleagues.
Robinson told an impromptu news conference in a hallway of the B.C. legislature Wednesday that she will now sit as an Independent.
She previously said she does not plan to seek reelection in the upcoming provincial election, slated for this October.
The decision to leave the NDP comes after Robinson resigned as the minister for Post Secondary Education and Future Skills amid international uproar over inaccurate comments she made about Palestinian land pre-Israel’s establishment.
The MLA has faced calls for her resignation since she made the comments during a panel discussion hosted by B’nai Brith. During the event, she said before Israel was settled by the modern population, the area was just a “crappy piece of land with nothing on it.”
“The depth of the work that minister Robinson needs to do in order to address the harms that she’s caused is significant. And it is incompatible with her continuing as minister of Advanced Education given the volume and the depth of the work that she needs to do,” Premier David Eby said on Feb. 5.
Local Jewish groups were quick to respond to news of Robinson’s resignation in an open letter.
“We are profoundly saddened by the news that Selina Robinson…will be leaving the BC NDP Caucus to sit as an independent because of the antisemitism that she has experienced,” an open letter from local Jewish groups read.
Ezra Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver told CityNews that the community was disappointed but not surprised.
“The people in the Jewish community have been feeling deeply hurt and really pained in these moments since October 7, and feeling incredibly unsafe,” he said.
“I don’t think that it’s wrong, to ask our government to be there for our Jewish community.”
The open letter also states, according to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), antisemitic hate incidents have increased since 2023 by 62 per cent, and that is why the Jewish community “relied on strong voices at the cabinet table to advocate” on its behalf.
“It is the job of the Premier to ensure that all British Columbians feel safe. Recent polling shows that 75% of all British Columbians are concerned with the rise in antisemitism in our province, and they support governments and organizations when they take action against it,” said the letter.
Local Jewish groups are now asking Premier Eby to “demonstrate leadership and address antisemitism within his caucus, his government, and in British Columbia as a whole.”
Listen to CityNews 1130 LIVE now!Robinson, who has also previously served as finance minister, says she hasn’t heard from Eby or any other members of the NDP caucus since informing them of her decision.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
