B.C. Premier David Eby says his former post-secondary education minister offered her resignation twice before her exit from cabinet over comments she made about the Middle East.
Selina Robinson, who’s Jewish, stepped down on Monday after days of pressure over her comments that modern Israel was founded on a “crappy piece of land,” which critics called racist and Islamophobic.
Eby said at the time that it was a joint decision.
Asked if the final decision was his, Eby told an unrelated news conference on Wednesday that Robinson offered to quit twice and he accepted on Monday.
Eby says the weekend leading up to the resignation was “really difficult” for a lot of people in B.C. and he acknowledges the “important role” Robinson played in cabinet for the Jewish community.
Some in the Jewish community have accused Eby of double standards, saying they’re offended by what happened to Robinson after she apologized and was willing to make amends.
“She’s going to go and do her work,” Eby said of Robinson, who remains in the NDP caucus.
Coquitlam RCMP, meanwhile, are seeking witnesses and evidence of mischief at Robinson’s constituency office in Coquitlam.
The office was vandalized overnight between Monday and Tuesday with pro-Palestine messages. However, by the time Mounties arrived to investigate, it had been washed off and “no physical damage” was located.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Coquitlam detachment at 604-945-15500 and quote the file number 2024-3092.
— with files from Global News’ Elizabeth McSheffrey
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