Ditching Throness might be too little, too late
But ditching controversial candidate Throness may turn out to be a case of too little, too late
When the latest outrage regarding B.C. Liberal Laurie Throness surfaced Thursday, some party members wondered if Leader Andrew Wilkinson would finally do what needed to be done.
Those Liberals were already seething at what they regarded as the leader's double standard in dealing with Jane Thornthwaite's sexist comments regarding New Democrat Bowinn Ma.
Wilkinson denounced the Thornthwaite jokes at a roast for retiring MLA Ralph Sultan as “inappropriate,” “disappointing,” “hurtful, “in exceptionally bad taste,” and evidence of “poor judgment.”
He was equally unsparing of Thornthwaite herself.
“As her remarks proceeded, many of us were increasingly embarrassed to the point of being appalled,” he said. “It was abundantly clear by the end of the roast that she made a bit of a fool of herself.”
While Wilkinson didn't hesitate to throw Thornthwaite under the bus, he'd passed up opportunities to do the same with Laurie Throness, the unreconstructed social conservative running for re-election in Chilliwack.
Throness was unrepentant about placing advertising in a magazine that promotes conversion therapy for homosexuals.
Wilkinson had spent the week reminding voters that he was a medical doctor — to the point where jokes circulated about him showing up at media conferences with a stethoscope around his neck, per Leslie Nielsen in the movie Airplane. As a doctor, didn't he recognize that the medical establishment has dismissed conversion therapy as “ineffective” at best, “harmful” at worst?
But Wilkinson had replied to all questions about Throness (and another candidate who'd opposed a rainbow crosswalk) by offering the supposed reassurance that members of his own family “are gay and lesbian.”
Had he asked those family members how they felt about the aforementioned two candidates for his party? Wilkinson replied Tuesday that LGBTQ+ rights were a topic of conversation “and it's understood in my family that there's work to be done.”
There matters stood until Thursday, when social media came alive with reports of what Throness had said about the NDP proposal for publicly funded contraception.
“It contains a whiff of the old eugenics thing,” he told an online all candidates meeting the night before. “Where, you know, poor people shouldn't have babies. And so we can't force them to have contraception so we'll give it to them for free. So there will be fewer poor people in future.”
Wilkinson, who'd held off for three days in providing a full accounting on the Thornthwaite comments, responded more quickly this time.
“Let's be clear, I support government providing free contraception to anyone in B.C. who wants it,” he said in a before-noon posting on his Twitter account. “What Laurie Throness said was wrong and against my position as leader of this party. I will be making this very clear to Laurie when we next speak.”
That still left the question of what he was going to do about it. With Wilkinson's next media availability set for 2:30 p.m., speculation built.
The New Democrats lost no time putting the boot in. “What is it going to take for Wilkinson to fire him?” challenged cabinet minister Selina Robinson.
Judging from the early afternoon postings on social media, some Liberals had clearly had enough.
“Appalling,” said Jas Johal, in a tough fight to hold his Richmond seat. “Repugnant,” said Todd Stone, a once and perhaps future leadership candidate.
“Awful,” said Trevor Halford, running in Surrey White Rock.
“Contemptible and deeply offensive,” added Matt Pitcairn, running for the Liberals in another of the Richmond ridings. “I will not stand by and abide such remarks.” Finally Wilkinson made it official. “Yesterday, Mr. Laurie Throness made statements that are not in keeping with values of the B.C. Liberal party or my own values,” he told reporters. “Those statements about contraception were completely wrong. I have therefore accepted Laurie Throness' resignation as a candidate for the B.C. Liberal party in the upcoming election. We will move forward without him.”
He sidestepped questions from Global TV reporter Jordan Armstrong about whether he was prepared to fire Throness if he had not resigned. “That didn't prove to be necessary,” he said several times.
A statement from party headquarters added: “Laurie Throness has accepted that his comments were wrong and inappropriate. It was clear he couldn't remain part of the Liberal team. The B.C. Liberal Party is dedicated to a diversity of perspectives, but all party members are dedicated to inclusiveness and equality — that is not up for debate.”
Except maybe in Langley East, where Margaret Kunst, who opposed the rainbow crosswalk, remains the candidate. Though Throness has officially resigned as Liberal candidate in Chilliwack-Kent, it comes too late to change the ballots. Those were finalized after nomination day, Oct. 2. He will be listed as a Liberal.
The resignation leaves the Liberals one candidate short of a full slate. But Wilkinson could have forestalled that had he acted over the summer when the Throness stance on conversion therapy got the Liberals banned from this year's Pride Parade. Throughout 2019, the Liberal leader talked big about using his powers to encourage turnover. He claimed, if necessary, he would refuse to sign nomination papers.
Though Throness was unrepentant about the embarrassment he caused, Wilkinson let the situation drift until it was too late to replace him with a more mainstream candidate.
Chalk it up as one more reason why Liberals are despairing about the election and already speculating about possible successors to Wilkinson.
Wilkinson let the situation drift until it was too late to replace (Throness).