By Barry Ellsworth
TRENTON, Canada (AA) – The Canadian province of British Columbia’s minister of post-secondary education lost her Cabinet post Monday after an outcry stirred by her remarks that the area where Israel was founded was a “crappy piece of land.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby said at a press conference that Selina Robinson was “stepping down” after her “belittling and demeaning” comments. Before Israel was given the land in 1948, it was home to Palestinians.
“Selina’s comments were wrong,” Eby said. “They were belittling and demeaning to a community of people already under profound pressure given the war in the Middle East and already have the feeling that their voices are not being heard.”
Robinson made the remarks during an online forum hosted by the Jewish B'nai Brith Canada organization last week.
The “crappy land” comment met with immediate criticism to the point that at least a dozen mosques in the province said Eby’s New Democrat Party members were no longer welcome in their “sacred places.”
The National Council of Canadian Muslims posted on X on Feb. 3 that “these comments are not only factually wrong, but offensive and irresponsible.”
Calls for her resignation began building Friday and continued through the weekend into Monday.
Robinson apologized twice – once verbally and once in writing – but it failed to quell the protests. She said she was referring to the land as having limited natural resources.
Eby finally decided to act and said Monday that he and Robinson together decided it was best for her to step down from the Cabinet.
“The harm that she has done is…unacceptable,” he said. “She screwed up.”
Eby said Robinson will continue to contact the various groups she offended, a task she began on the weekend.