Selina Robinson, author of Truth Be Told and former cabinet minister, spoke in Prince George on Monday, June 23 as about 40 people gathered at the downtown Ramada to hear her presentation.
Robinson was first elected to the BC legislature in 2013 as a New Democratic Party member for Coquitlam-Maillardville. After several years as an MLA, she was appointed minister of finance when Premier John Horgan formed government in 2020. Robinson helped guide the province’s economy through the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in successive surplus budgets, according to the description of her book.
In 2022, Premier David Eby appointed her minister of post-secondary education and future skills.
In early 2024, Robinson became the centre of a political controversy after referring during a webinar to the territory on which Israel was founded as a “crappy piece of land.” Activists and a group of Muslim clergy called for her resignation, she said.
Robinson said she was subjected to online harassment, including a credible death threat, and her constituency office was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.
Less than a week after making the remarks, Robinson was removed from cabinet by Premier Eby, who said she could not continue in her role due to the “depth of work” needed to repair the harm caused by her comments. Robinson said that “deep work” is the subject of her new book.
“After the terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, where 1,200 people were massacred in Israel, we started to see a significant surge in antisemitism — not just here in British Columbia, but across Canada and around the globe,” Robinson said.
“And my story is how I was fired from cabinet as a result, I think, of antisemitism, and so I wrote the book. Part of what we’ve been seeing in the Jewish communities — there are 40,000 Jews in all of BC, just shy of 400,000 across Canada, and about 15.8 million in the world’s population of eight billion — is that smaller communities, especially those outside the Lower Mainland, are feeling increasingly isolated.”
Robinson said one of the impacts of rising antisemitism is that people feel more afraid to express their identity.
“They might stop wearing a Star of David, or avoid publicly acknowledging they’re Jewish. They may hide religious symbols. In smaller communities, where there are fewer Jews, that sense of isolation is even greater—and that is very concerning,” she said.
Robinson has been working with the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver to engage with Jewish communities and allies across the province—especially those who want to take a stand against antisemitism.
“We want to talk about what we can do and how we can work together,” she said.
“The gathering was for those experiencing antisemitism, and that’s the essence of my talk. During my presentation, I walk people through my story and encourage them to buy the book, as proceeds go to two charities.”
The proceeds benefit two organizations: the Parents Circle — Families Forum, a joint Israeli-Palestinian group of more than 700 families who have lost an immediate relative to the ongoing conflict, and Upstanders Canada, a grassroots movement encouraging Canadians — especially non-Jews — to speak out against antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
“We encourage people to use the anti-racism helpline, where professionals and legal experts are helping identify and pursue human rights cases,” she said.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver invites people to connect with them at www.jewishvancouver.com.
“We’re just trying to connect people and reduce the isolation that can come from living outside of what we call the Jewish core,” Robinson said.
During the Prince George seminar, Robinson said she was grateful for the turnout.
“About half the group was Jewish. We had the Chamber of Commerce represented, a couple of MLAs, a few city councillors — Shirley Bond came — she was great. Even though we sat on opposite sides politically, she was gracious and supportive, and even pitched my book to the room. I loved it! I love Shirley!” she said.
“I was really grateful that everyone was interested in what it’s like to be part of the Jewish community in Prince George and the surrounding region.”
She said there was strong recognition in the room that being Jewish is not solely a matter of religion.
“One of the biggest takeaways was that people came to understand that Judaism is not just a religion. Jews are a people with shared history, customs and culture—an ethnocultural community connected by religion, but not defined solely by it,” Robinson said.
She plans to continue visiting communities across B.C. to share her story.
For more information about Selina Robinson and her book, visit www.selinarobinson.ca.
Anyone experiencing antisemitism can contact [email protected] or report the incident through the provincial government’s anti-racism hotline at www.gov.bc.ca/racistincidenthotline.
