The office of B.C.’s recently resigned minister of post-secondary education, New Democrat Selina Robinson, was vandalized just a day after she stepped down for comments on the Israel-Palestine region. Premier David Eby wrote on his social media account on Feb. 6 that the actions were wrong. He did not believe that peaceful protest should involve hate. She chose to resign after comments she made regarding the Israel-Palestine region pre-1948 were made during a panel discussion hosted by B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy organization. Her comments led to calls for her resignation from many pro-Palestinian groups.
Mr. Eby said that her comments would see her removed from cabinet but that she would remain in the NDP caucus. On Feb. 5, Ms. Robinson issued an apology for her comments and said she would be taking part in anti-Islamophobia training. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said they were concerned about her removal from cabinet and said that it sends a chilling message that Jewish leaders are held to a different standard. However, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) welcomed Mr. Eby’s move and said this kind of dehumanization of Palestinians must not be tolerated.
This isn’t the first time a politician has been penalized for comments connected to the Israel-Hamas conflict. In October 2023, Hamilton MPP Sarah Jama was censured in the Ontario Legislature and removed from the NDP caucus for her social media comments about the conflict. She apologized for her comments but was still removed from the caucus.