Weir fiasco forces the NDP to face sexism in its ranks

The NDP has long subscribed to a policy of zero tolerance for sexual harassment, although that’s certainly not what always happened in practice.

Regardless of its public pronouncements, the NDP has also subscribed to the notion of “what goes on in the party stays in the party.”

So what’s quickly becoming intriguing is the full reason why veteran Saskatchewan New Democrats are being so openly critical of federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s willingness to make zero tolerance mean more than just words in his handling of Regina-lewvan MP Erin Weir’s expulsion from the federal NDP caucus.

Last week, more tires were tossed on this political dumpster fire when Singh acrimoniously responded to the 67 Saskatchewan

New Democrat signatories: “I am not going to change my decision (to expel Weir) because people in a position of privilege want to intimidate me,” he said.

It would be a stiletto to the ribs for any New Democrat. But it was particularly sharp to the Saskatchewan NDP, who still model themselves as salt-of-the-earth Tommy Douglas social democrats.

And it only heightened the existing acrimony, with some Saskatchewan New Democrats firing back that Singh is nothing more a Toronto lawyer who fancies tailored suits and Rolex watches.

And just as one thought things can’t get any worse, Weir announced Thursday he would subscribe to Dylan Thomas’s words and not go gentle into that good night. Weir reaffirmed his apology, but made it clear — as Singh and caucus sat in Surrey, B.C. — that he had every intention of seeking the Regina-lewvan NDP nomination.

What has been lost amidst all this virtue-signalling and name calling over who’s a drawing room socialist and who isn’t, is the lack of a clear reason why Weir has been dumped.

That Singh’s office started its investigation after hearing about (but not directly receiving) third-party complaints; that it asked for complaints against Weir; that Weir seems to have apologized and gone through training; and that the complaints investigated were described by Weir’s trainer as “on the ‘less serious’ end of the spectrum” only undercuts Singh’s rationale for giving Weir the boot.

Yet in his response to the 67 signatories, Singh offered the heavy implication that it’s his job to keep his office free of workplace harassment. Doesn’t such a charge require some evidence that harassment occurred?

While there is sincere, heartfelt belief in this party that it needs to take more leadership on sexual harassment issues, one gets why Saskatchewan New Democrats fear Weir is simply the poster boy for this notion and that his political career is going up in flames over unproven and even unstated allegations.

Among those 67 signatories — many of them women, many of whom have long been on the front line in the battle for equality — are those who first and foremost believe in fairness. Perhaps they sincerely have reason to believe that Weir, as an individual, is not being dealt with fairly.

That, combined with no small amount of political ego among the 67 signatories is surely cause for some to take umbrage at Singh’s unwillingness to listen to those in Saskatchewan who are among the few in the country to ever run a long-serving NDP government. Certainly, they would be aware how the Weir affair is blowing up the NDP’S 2019 electoral chances.

However, there may be something else in the Saskatchewan NDP legacy that some of the signatories — at least subconsciously — may be defending.

One former Saskatchewan NDP ministerial aide (who, two decades later, still does not want to be named) said there was an appalling “frat boy” mentality among male politicians and staff who got away with what should have been firing offences because women in all political parties feared embarrassing powerful men. People should know some of those men are among the 67 signatories of the petition, the former aide said. This raises the question whether some of the 67 are opposing some modern-day injustice or trying to justify their own behaviour while they were in power.

An already messy affair is getting even messier.