Selina Robinson

Selina Mae Robinson ( Dardick; born 1964)

She represented the electoral district of Coquitlam-Maillardville, first as a British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP) MLA and then as an Independent. She served in the cabinet of British Columbia from 2017 until 2024.

She stepped down in February 2024 after she called Palestine "a crappy piece of land with nothing on it" until the founding of Israel.

Early life Born in Montreal as Selina Dardick, she moved with her parents to Richmond, British Columbia, in 1978. After graduating from Simon Fraser University with a master's degree in counselling psychology,

Politics In September 2012, Robinson announced her intention to seek the BC NDP nomination for Coquitlam-Maillardville in the next provincial election; she was acclaimed the NDP's candidate for the riding in November that year. She was initially declared defeated on election night in 2013, with Steve Kim of the BC Liberals deemed winner by 105 votes. However, once absentee ballots were counted, she pulled ahead to win the riding by a 35-vote margin over Kim. A judicial recount confirmed Robinson's victory by a final margin of 41 votes. She served as critic for mental health and addictions, seniors, local government and sports in the NDP shadow cabinet.

In the 2017 provincial election, Robinson once again faced Steve Kim, this time winning by more than 2400 votes. She was subsequently appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in the new BC NDP government under Premier John Horgan. Following the resignation of Jinny Sims from cabinet in October 2019, Robinson briefly assumed the role of Minister of Citizens' Services, until Anne Kang took over the position in January 2020.

Cabinet Minister Following her re-election in 2020, she was appointed Minister of Finance. After Horgan announced his retirement as premier and party leader in 2022, Robinson considered running to replace him before deciding otherwise. On December 7, 2022, she was appointed Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills by Premier David Eby.

Following the start of the Gaza war, Robinson claimed that Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth called her "every single day from Oct. 7 for about 10 days, to report in to me about what was happening on the ground". Robinson worked with B'nai Brith to mandate Holocaust education in the school curriculum which would be organized by the pro-Israel organization CIJA.

Adel Iskandar, a professor at Simon Fraser University, stated that "There’s absolutely no history book that would affirm Minister Robinson’s articulation of that period in time... Obviously it was not a 'crappy piece of land'. It is the land that has had over 15,000 years of human habitability", and describing the suggestion that the land was empty as a "fundamentally colonialist narrative". Federal NDP MP Matthew Green characterised Robinson's comments as historically inaccurate and "deeply derogatory and insensitive", and called on Eby to reconsider Robinson's ministerial position. Robinson apologised for the comments later that week, calling them "disrespectful," continuing to clarify "I was referring to the fact that the land has limited natural resources". In a statement, Eby said that Robinson's claim was "wrong and unacceptable... I thank her for withdrawing the comments and apologizing unreservedly", though Robinson did not publicly withdraw the comment. FPSE also describe Robinson as undermining "the democratic principles of freedom of expression, academic freedom, and a college and university system free of direct manipulation by the provincial government" given that Robinson had been directly involved in pressuring Langara College to fire Dr. Natalie Knight regarding her comments in support of the October 7 attacks. which reflected denial of the violence of colonialism and potential support for a settler colony, although Robinson clarified she was referring to the fact that the land has limited natural resources. After a protest of the BC NDP retreat in Surrey, BC, Robinson was dismissed.

Dismissal of Dr. Natalie Knight On October 28, 2023, Dr. Natalie Knight, an instructor at Langara College made remarks that were interpreted as praising the October 7 attacks. She was initially put on leave, but then reinstated in January 2024 after Langara College conducted an investigation and found that Knight did not violate the college's policies. However, after the reinstatement, Robinson met with the college administration and called for Knight's termination – and on January 26, the college terminated Knight.

On January 1, 2025, she told the National Post that the NDP had been antisemitic "for years" and that progressive parties like the NDP are pandering to "conservative Muslim groups that are anti-Israel".

Electoral record