REGINA - A Sask Party MLA has apologized after referring to federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh as a ‘terrorist’ during remarks in the Assembly.
Humboldt-Watrous MLA Racquel Hilbert made remarks during the budget debate on March 25. In those remarks, as recorded in Hansard, Hilbert spoke of the efforts by the Sask Party to open new markets around the world.
“None of this has been easy, and in fact the road has been bumpy at times,” Hilbert said. “It’s been more difficult due to challenges presented by the federal government, propped up by the federal NDP, federal NDP supported by this opposition. We did not hear the opposition denounce their federal leader as being a terrorist in India, and denounce the collateral trade damage to Western Canada.”
The remark did not draw a direct rebuke from Speaker Todd Goudy at the time, but he did caution her on “some of the accusations there” in her overall remarks. “Just please be careful with your comments.”
In the Assembly Wednesday, Hilbert apologized.
“During my budget response speech, I made an inappropriate comment regarding the federal NDP leader,” she said. “I wish to apologize and withdraw my comment.”
At the Legislature, several NDP MLAs including Saskatoon University-Sutherland MLA Tajinder Grewal, Regina Pasqua MLA Bhajan Brar and Regina Coronation Park MLA Noor Burki, spoke to reporters and denounced the remarks.
“I would say calling someone a terrorist is a huge statement,” said an emotional Grewal.
“This is to me hate speech. It is simply not acceptable. It is a hard thing for me.”
Grewal was also upset with Speaker Goudy for not catching Hilbert’s remarks referring to Singh, but said he would leave it to the Speaker to comment on that.
The remarks have made their way to the federal NDP campaign trail. Singh, set to campaign today and tomorrow in Saskatoon, denounced the remarks when he was speaking to reporters.
“There is an MLA from Saskatchewan that I’ve learned now has referred to me as a terrorist,” Singh said. “I am an adult, I am a leader of a national party, I am an elected official, I’m a lawyer. I don’t care that they said that about me, it’s not about me. But I am worried about why someone would say that. This is an MLA, someone who is an elected official respected member of the community, former teacher. What would make someone say something like that…
“I am worried about what a kid in the classroom where this MLA was a teacher, what that kid would’ve gone through. Maybe they were made to feel like they were a threat, that they were someone people should be suspicious of because they looked different... When did we get to the point in our society where that is okay?”
