National Post (National Edition)
A tale of modern political discourse
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and local Conservative MP Michelle Rempel are involved in a heated debate over business taxes and “sexist” comments. How did it start?
On social media Sunday, Rempel blasted Calgary’s property-tax system, which has many business owners outside the core bracing for major tax hikes this year, amid a vacancy rate never before seen in the city’s downtown. “This sort of action will further cripple Calgary’s jobs market,” Rempel tweeted, adding Calgary’s city council “needs to have a rethink about this policy.”
Q And this upset Nenshi?
A Yes, on Tuesday he told reporters the MP was “trying to make hay out of something she doesn’t understand.” He said, “I’m happy to have her wade in; I’m happy to have her help, if she wants to help, but it’s sort of helpful if she actually knows what she’s talking about first.” He then said Rempel “didn’t understand what was going on” and added, “Apparently, math is challenging, but hopefully, she’ll figure that out.”
Q Is she math challenged?
A Actually, she has a degree in economics from the University of Manitoba so she probably has the whole math thing figured out. Q So was she upset? A A little. “That’s probably one of the most arrogant, out of touch, sexist statements I’ve heard in the entirety of my political career,” she told Postmedia. She also accused Nenshi of “mansplaining” to her and small businesses that math is hard. “I have thousands of people out of work in my riding. They’re struggling to make ends meet, and what does that mean in terms of ‘math is challenging?’ It means they’re making hard choices on what the family is spending money on. This isn’t, ‘Are we going on vacation or not this year?’ It’s, ‘Can I afford Kraft Dinner or can I afford to make my mortgage payments?’” Q Any apology in the works? A Well, Nenshi tweeted that he was sorry that his words “came off as sexist” which isn’t really an apology. He also said, “I would have said the same thing to men in political discourse.” Q Is it over? A Not quite. Rempel said no man would have to justify his math abilities and added, “I’m so sorry for not kissing the purple ring on behalf of my constituents who you’re putting out of business.” Nenshi replied, “No comment. But a great and totally untrue insult. Keep being you.”