What just happened in British Columbia?

The Middle East enters local politics and a minister is fired

In simple terms: a Jewish provincial minister got fired from cabinet by her party after making comments on a Zoom call about the early days of what is now Israel. And not just a minister, Selina Robinson served in some high profile positions in the British Columbia government ever since 2017 when her party, the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP) took power. Leading the government is premier David Eby, a former lawyer who at one point headed up the province’s civil liberties union. The NDP’s reign has been largely uneventful, remarkably pro-business and overall stable in nature. Until this week.

Middle East politics of course entered the provincial scene, and, it has to be said, Eby’s government struck a strong pro-Israel tone with a heavy delegation at the annual Hanukkah lighting in Vancouver and the announcement of mandatory Holocaust education in the province’s schools. Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, Robinson was one of the most vocal ones, her background no doubt informed her commitment to ensure that messaging after October 7th reflected not only support for Israel, but the often missing historical context in the public debate. Note that in neighbouring Alberta, Calgary’s mayor backed out of the Hanukkah event there for fear as being seen as too pro-Israel.

Eby, although having a solid majority when elected leader, has had to deal with some hardcore activists in his party. These fringe elements focus on quite radical policies when it comes to climate, social issues and foreign affairs. And they have celebrity support, in this case environmental activist Naomi Klein and her husband Avi Lewis who are very active in the media making their case on whatever the ‘issue du jour’ is. The couple, although being Jewish, has been on a relentless anti-Israel campaign which uses the politically correct dictionary that includes terms as ‘racism’, colonialism’ and ‘genocide’.

So last week Selena Robinson appeared in a Zoom call wherein she proclaimed that the area that became in Israel in 1948 was "a crappy piece of land with nothing on it." This has indeed been the historical narrative, but one could argue that Robinson probably did not hit the right note here: the area under British Mandate was maybe under-developed and full of malaria, but it had a small and thriving population. The comment however was construed as ‘racist’ as it negated the existence of the Arab population and might I add, Jews and Christians too. In her excitement to make a historical case she inadvertently said something that some found deeply objectionable. It probably was the moment her opponents had been waiting for.

A storm ensued and over the weekend a lynch mob got going to call for Robinson’s ouster, I will spare you the details but it was not pretty. In particular if you consider how some of Robinson’s own party members could not restrain themselves and joined the fray. So much for trust, respect and collegiality. Egged on by the likes of Klein and Lewis it did not take long to get results: Robinson of course apologized and on Monday evening committed to take anti-Islamophobia training. She bit the dust and did what was necessary to bring down the temperature. Matter closed, under normal circumstances. Yet Eby dropped her from cabinet on the same day and made it clear she would not run in the next election later this year. She was out, terminated, cancelled. To make matters worse her constituency office was vandalized that same evening by an emboldened mob and yesterday it was reported that she had received death threats.

If you want a case study of how Jews are under pressure and driven from public spaces ever since October 7th, look no further. It is as ugly as it is dangerous as the anti-Israel crowd will no doubt consider this a resounding success and move on to the next target. The Jewish Federation in Vancouver and the Rabbis of Vancouver raised the alarm and issued searing letters making it clear to Eby that his actions would not be easily forgotten.

There is more to it, of course. Eby is facing an election this year and has to ensure his party is aligned and unified. Keeping Robinson in her seat would have created noise and divided the party while potentially undermining his position. It also means that his party has put a stake in the ground when it comes to Middle East policies - not that it has any jurisdiction here - and more generally, Jews. Taking this route will alienate many voters in British Columbia, in particular those in the center who in the past flocked to the left as it became a more moderate entity. If that sort of moderation is out of the window and radicals with an anti-Semitic bent are setting the party’s agenda, Eby may well have backed himself into a very difficult corner.

Having interacted with some social media posts gave me some understanding of the mindset here: genocide committed by Israel is a slam dunk, there are no arguments possible. The debate was over on the evening of October 7th. Robinson was right to hint at the need for more education to explain the history and context of this awful and deadly conflict as most of her voters and party members have little idea of what they are talking about.

Avi Lewis moved on quickly from Selina Robinson as a topic and retweeted the news that Nicaragua (!) was ‘to commence legal proceedings to hold Canada accountable if it does not end its complicity in the genocide in Gaza’. It will be a long journey back to sanity.

Photo: David Eby, Premier of British Columbia addresses the crowd in central Vancouver on the first night of Hanukkah on December 7, 2023. Selina Robinson, still a minister at that point, is also on stage, sitting in the back.