Svend him away
December 9, 2005
Evan Prowse
In 1987, United States President Ronald Reagan was invited to speak in Canada’s parliament. As he spoke, heckles filled the backbenches as a few New Democratic Party (NDP) politicians, led by Svend Robinson, shattered the longstanding Canadian tradition of demonstrating respect for invited guests. Without missing a beat, Reagan musingly inquired, “Is there an echo in here?” Immediately, laughter swept through the halls of power and Reagan received a standing ovation. In addition to disgracing his position, Robinson had unwittingly made himself a laughingstock before parliament and the nation.
The political vista has been abuzz since Robinson recently announced his intention to run as the NDP candidate for election in the Vancouver Center riding, less than two years after resigning in disgrace after stealing a ring worth $64,000 from a charitable auction. Upon announcing his upcoming campaign, Robinson said he hoped people would overlook his act of “madness” and recall his record. So, let us consider his record:
The first openly gay Canadian MP, Robinson attempted to get the age of consent for sex lowered from 18 to a mere 14 years old, in the name of equality. Robinson also lowered the bar of decency when he became the first elected Member of Parliament to pose nude for a charity website (a donation would reveal what had been covered by shells).
In 2002 he was banned from speaking on the Israel-Palestine conflict at Concordia University because of a temporary ban on all Middle-Eastern themed events, enacted as a result of anti-Jewish rioting that had engulfed the campus just months prior. An outraged Robinson attempted to fly the banner of free speech: “The administrators of this university have shown utter contempt for freedom of speech.” He huffed, “shame shame shame.” Such would seem to be a principled statement until you consider that at that very moment, Robinson’s bill expanding the realm of banned speech in Canada was working its way through parliament.
Most distressing about his record is Robinson’s hostility towards believers. One always quick to denounce intolerance, Robinson reportedly mocked “born again” Christians by joking, “Did they have to come back again as themselves?” In a twofold act of contempt towards free speech and religious expression on Parliament Hill in 2000, he snatched a sign from an elderly priest and attempted to break it before throwing it over a wall, an act so outrageous that it could easily be mistaken for an urban legend had not some major newspapers reported on it. The offending sign contained official Catholic teachings on sexuality that Robinson claimed promoted hatred. More disturbing, however, was his participation in the assault on Canada’s spiritual history. In 1999 he tabled a petition to expunge from our Charter the recognition that Canada was a nation founded on principles that recognize “the supremacy of God,” alleging that this realization of history wasn’t “inclusive.” Robinson eventually recanted the petition only after a firestorm of controversy and a party demotion to the backbenches.
The issue at hand, however, goes beyond the actions of one rogue parliamentarian. The fact that the NDP has made itself a welcome home for someone with a record of embarrassing elected office, free speech hypocrisy, and religious intolerance should not be forgotten by those going to the polls this year. Even those who support the NDP’s vision of government wealth redistribution should see that we will not get principled rulers until the party feels the pinch from those unwilling to vote for an organization that welcomes a politician such as Robinson into their fold. The last thing Canada needs is four more years of Robinson’s antics.
Now you go...
2 Responses to “Svend him away”
Got something to say?
Congrats on leading the national news Evan! Macleans’s cover story for Dec. 19 was “Svend him packing,” but we scooped them by almost two weeks! Way to be on the ball, my friend. Keep making Opinion the most timely, insightful section in the MH!
It’s a pun, not a “scoop.”