WHAT is it that BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson doesn’t get?
His behaviour during the Zoom fundraising roast for retiring BC Liberal MLA Ralph Sultan (West Vancouver-Capilano) in September in which BC Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite (North Vancouver-Seymour) made utterly disgusting sexist remarks about NDP MLA Bowinn Ma (North Vancouver-Lonsdale) – and his reaction to the controversy that followed last weekend – has exposed him as a leader who hesitates to take tough decisions and seems unsure of his values.
Thornthwaite, who has disgraced herself and her party, made putrid comments about how Ma and Sultan sat closely together at a public event and how Ma, “a very pretty lady,” knew how to “get Ralph going.” She said: “Ralph would be sitting on the middle of the couch and Bowinn would be right up right there and cuddling, cuddling, cuddling, a little bit of cleavage there, and Ralph would be enthralled.”
Indeed, Thornthwaite has a filthy mind. Her behaviour was definitely repulsive. That this comes from an MLA of a party that pretends to have so-called Christian values, exposes the hypocrisy of the BC Liberals. All those Liberal MLAs enjoying the vulgar comments made by Thornthwaite was appalling, to say the least.
What made matters worse, was that neither Thornthwaite nor Wilkinson apologized right away when the video was posted to Twitter on Saturday by Mo Amir, who hosts a podcast.
Following the outrage on social media, Thornthwaite on Sunday first tweeted: “I have huge respect for all women who push through glass ceilings. I’m one of them. So is Bowinn Ma.”
She added: “Ralph Sultan has the same respect and a soft spot for his fellow UBC engineer, and I made light of that at a roast. I have always and will always support more women in politics.”
Only later did she tweet: “I wish to add this. The comments I made at the roast for my colleague Ralph Sultan fell flat and were inappropriate. I unreservedly apologize for making these comments. I have reached out to Bowinn Ma to apologize to her directly as well. I commit to doing better moving forward.”
Wilkinson in a tweet in Sunday said: “Jane Thornthwaite has apologized for comments she made during a Zoom retirement event for Ralph Sultan. On reflection, those comments were inappropriate, and it was right for Jane to apologize. I want to apologize to @BowinnMa, as this never should have happened.”
He added: “I understand why many people are upset, and I continue to be committed to doing everything I can to make sure women are welcomed, encouraged, and treated with respect in politics and public life.”
Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer noted on Tuesday: “The minimal response was reminiscent of Wilkinson’s recent failure to stand up strongly for LBGTQ+ rights in respect to controversies involving two Liberal candidates.
“In defence, Wilkinson says he has “gay and lesbian members in my family.” If so, they must be embarrassed by his tolerance of candidates who in one case opposed a rainbow cross walk and in another helped fund a publication promoting conversion therapy.”
BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau tweeted on Sunday: “This is appalling. If women are not warm in the workplace, we are castigated as rude. If we are friendly, we get this. @BowinnMa is incredibly professional and her ability to forge friendships across party lines makes the legislature better. She is owed an apology.”
Ma posted the following on her Facebook on Sunday: “As a woman who has worked in male-dominated industries my entire life so far, I am sadly no stranger to casual sexism. Like many women in these situations, I found myself making choices about the way that I act, dress, or carry myself to avoid having sexist interpretations read into my interactions – interactions such as, for instance, deliberately speaking closely with an elder who is very hard of hearing.
“It is a burden that women should not have to bear while they are simply trying to live their lives and do their jobs.
“The video of BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson watching on as a multi-term BC Liberal North Shore MLA sexualized my interactions with another multi-term BC Liberal North Shore MLA is a deeply uncomfortable characterization of my efforts to extend kindness across partisan lines. However, this is not about me.
“Young women deserve a province that encourages them to take on leadership roles without fear of sexism. If we want more young women and people of colour to enter politics, we must commit to creating environments that respect them. The comments and reactions in that video do the exact opposite.”
On Monday, Ma told the media: “I think Andrew Wilkinson has a lot to answer for in terms of what he feels is acceptable within his caucus, and I question whether a man who is unable to set the tone of his political party in terms of respect for women is able to set a tone for British Columbians.”
She added: “This isn’t about this one incident, and it’s not about this one story that was told at some event at a B.C. Liberal fundraiser. This is becoming a pattern of behaviour that Andrew Wilkinson has tacitly endorsed by allowing to continue on.”
Ma noted: “The culture of an organization, particularly a political party, is set by the tone set by the leader. That Andrew Wilkinson has failed to set a tone in his caucus about what is acceptable in terms of the treatment of women and what is expected in terms of respect for women says a lot about the leadership of Andrew Wilkinson.”
She added: “We are all human and we make mistakes. We get called out, we learn from them, and we grow. But not all of us are running to lead a province. Andrew Wilkinson needs to explain himself to British Columbians.”
