TORONTO – New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath is demanding Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli be fired for comments directed at her that she calls sexist and misogynist.
Chiarelli apologized in the legislature Wednesday after he was heard saying Horwath “pees all over the map” on energy issues, but insisted he never actually said that and meant to say only that “she’s all over the map.”
Horwath says it wasn’t a real apology because Chiarelli didn’t admit he’d done anything wrong, and claims his “disgusting slur” comparing her actions to a dog’s was meant to demean and embarrass her so she would “shut up.”
She says anyone who watches the video of the energy minister’s comments in the legislature would agree it is “obvious” that he did not misspeak.
READ MORE: Ontario energy minister apologizes for ‘offensive’ word he says he didn’t say
The NDP leader also says Premier Kathleen Wynne should immediately remove Chiarelli from the Ontario cabinet.
Horwath says Wynne should be ashamed of herself for supporting Chiarelli, and claims the premier is not standing up for the women in Ontario.
“You cannot change the way things occur in workplaces like this if you don’t take responsibility for what is happening and force the people who are behaving in this way out of positions that they don’t deserve or have the capacity for,” she said.
“The example she’s setting is that this premier does not have the courage of her convictions, because if she did, she would be doing something about it.”
Wynne told the legislature Thursday that Chiarelli had dealt with the issue properly.
“Sometimes people do stumble over their words,” she said. “The minister has apologized for any misunderstanding.”
The New Democrats claim Chiarelli has a history of sexist comments, pointing to his claim that auditor general Bonnie Lysyk didn’t understand the electricity file.
During Thursday’s question period, it was NDP finance critic Catherine Fife, not Horwath, that raised Chiarelli’s comments with the premier.
“A year ago the minister of energy decided to ‘mansplain’ the electricity system to Ontario’s auditor general, even though she spent 10 years at Manitoba Hydro,” said Fife. “Then he decided to continue this pattern of degrading and disrespecting women. No woman should have to put up with this kind of casual sexism.”
Chiarelli said again Thursday that he never meant to say Horwath “pees all over the map,” and noted that Hansard – the official record of legislative proceedings – changed the transcript to eliminate the word “pees.”
“I think there was some confusion in terms of what some people may or may not have heard,” he said. “I think the words that are in Hansard speak for them and if somebody misinterpreted or heard them differently, I apologize for that. As far as I’m concerned that’s the end of it.”
NDP house leader Gilles Bisson wrote to the Speaker about the Hansard change, urging him to take “appropriate action” to “rectify any inconsistencies to reinforce sentiments about Hansard’s authenticity and impartiality.”
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