EDITORIAL – Federal NDP leader was right to confront the name callers

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

JAGMEET SINGH went up a notch in my books this week. Singh doesn’t shy away from confronting hecklers if he thinks they’re out of line but what he did a few days ago showed all over again he’s a man willing to stand up for himself.

As he was walking outside Parliament Hill he was tailed by a couple or guys. Someone shouted “corrupted bastard” at him. Singh spun around, walked back to where them and demanded to know who had said it. Nobody would fess up and it wasn’t confirmed who had made the remark..

Singh was right to call the culprit whoever it was, a coward. Reaction to the incident has been varied, from criticism to support. He deserves the latter; there’s no reason the leader of a federal political party should have to put up with that sort of crap.

If the same insult had been directed at a female MP, there would have been outrage, and correctly so. It shouldn’t be any different for a man.

As Singh confronted the men who seemed to be involved, a couple of Parliamentary security officers stood nearby and did nothing. Maybe they were just waiting to see if anything untoward developed but as soon as the insult was launched they should have been on top of it, escorting those responsible out of the vicinity.

The fact the security guys didn’t move, that they just stood watching, has been criticized by some of Singh’s NDP members and they make a good point. It’s sad that politicians now require protection but that’s the way things are these days, and clearly the leaders of our political parties have to be better protected.

There was a time when anyone could walk into our Parliament Buildings without restriction or even be checked at the entrance. Those days are gone. A fresh look at security around Parliament Hill, as well as at how politicians, especially party leaders, are kept from harm’s way, is needed.

A lot of people who were called “corrupt bastard” would have just kept walking, and that would have emboldened the slug responsible. I’m glad Singh didn’t ignore it, and instead turned to face it head on. Maybe it will result in something being done.

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor.  He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.