The Wildrose Opposition’s “democracy and accountability” critic spoke at an anti-carbon-tax rally in Red Deer Saturday where Canadianized versions of the Confederate Battle Flag – universally used, recognized and loathed as a symbol of overt racism – were freely flapping in wind.
Jason Nixon – who is also the Wildrose Legislative Caucus’s whip, responsible for party discipline – told the media the flag flappers were, in the words of the Canadian Press reporter who covered the story, “apart from the main crowd,” and that he spoke with the flag wavers and condemned their “racist imagery.”
Well, sorry, but that dog won’t hunt.
If the MLA for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre wanted to make a point about racist imagery, he could have sent the flag wavers packing from the steps of Red Deer City Hall, where he addressed the entire tiny group of carbon-tax opponents. Instead, he says, he spoke to the flag wavers for a few moments afterward.
According to the CBC, he then issued a statement saying, “I am sure that they would not have been welcome had they attempted to join the rally.”
Oh, please! Even if there’s no one standing behind the tree shown in the Twitter photo, the flag wavers are no more than a dozen steps from the rest of the protesters.
As Brian Mulroney famously said to John Turner: “You had an option, sir!” Mr. Nixon could have walked away and said why. He could have manned up and condemned the racist-flag wavers from the bully pulpit being an MLA provides. Instead, he bloviated un-memorably about the NDP’s carbon tax to handful of people the demonstration managed to attract.
My guess is that if the protest hadn’t happened on a weekend when the Progressive Conservatives were having a meeting in Red Deer, and a few PC members unhappy about the idea of a forced merger with the Wildrose Party hadn’t wandered by with camera-equipped smart-phones, none of us would know anything about this.
Joe Anglin, Mr. Nixon’s predecessor as Wildrose Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA, told me yesterday that no public figure can just ignore a racist symbol like the Confederate Battle Flag at a rally and pretend it has nothing to do with them.
“It’s an ugly reminder of a dark time in American history,” the U.S.-born Mr. Anglin observed. “People of integrity don’t just disavow its presence. They remove themselves completely from participation in the event.”
And have no doubt about it, he added, “once the Confederate flag was unfurled, the event became a racist event. It is no defence … to say he spoke with the flag wavers to condemn the behaviour after the damage was done.”
Mr. Anglin, defeated at a Wildrose nomination meeting in July 2014 by Mr. Nixon, who had worked behind the scenes as the constituency secretary to unseat him, said he believes Wildrose ranks are far from free of racism and homophobia. “This association I regret.”
The fact is, we’ve got a broader problem with racism in Alberta and politicians who stand by in situations like this as Mr. Nixon did are tacitly contributing to it.
Alberta PoliticsWildrose whip condemns racist imagery after the fact? That dog won’t hunt! Jason Nixon should have walked away - Alberta Politics
Jason Nixon – who is also the Wildrose Legislative Caucus’s whip, responsible for party discipline – told the media the flag flappers were, in the words of the Canadian Press reporter who covered the story, “apart from the main crowd,” and that he spoke with the flag wavers and condemned their “racist imagery.”
Well, sorry, but that dog won’t hunt.
If the MLA for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre wanted to make a point about racist imagery, he could have sent the flag wavers packing from the steps of Red Deer City Hall, where he addressed the entire tiny group of carbon-tax opponents. Instead, he says, he spoke to the flag wavers for a few moments afterward.
According to the CBC, he then issued a statement saying, “I am sure that they would not have been welcome had they attempted to join the rally.”
Oh, please! Even if there’s no one standing behind the tree shown in the Twitter photo, the flag wavers are no more than a dozen steps from the rest of the protesters.
As Brian Mulroney famously said to John Turner: “You had an option, sir!” Mr. Nixon could have walked away and said why. He could have manned up and condemned the racist-flag wavers from the bully pulpit being an MLA provides. Instead, he bloviated un-memorably about the NDP’s carbon tax to handful of people the demonstration managed to attract.
My guess is that if the protest hadn’t happened on a weekend when the Progressive Conservatives were having a meeting in Red Deer, and a few PC members unhappy about the idea of a forced merger with the Wildrose Party hadn’t wandered by with camera-equipped smart-phones, none of us would know anything about this.
Joe Anglin, Mr. Nixon’s predecessor as Wildrose Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA, told me yesterday that no public figure can just ignore a racist symbol like the Confederate Battle Flag at a rally and pretend it has nothing to do with them.
“It’s an ugly reminder of a dark time in American history,” the U.S.-born Mr. Anglin observed. “People of integrity don’t just disavow its presence. They remove themselves completely from participation in the event.”
And have no doubt about it, he added, “once the Confederate flag was unfurled, the event became a racist event. It is no defence … to say he spoke with the flag wavers to condemn the behaviour after the damage was done.”
Mr. Anglin, defeated at a Wildrose nomination meeting in July 2014 by Mr. Nixon, who had worked behind the scenes as the constituency secretary to unseat him, said he believes Wildrose ranks are far from free of racism and homophobia. “This association I regret.”
The fact is, we’ve got a broader problem with racism in Alberta and politicians who stand by in situations like this as Mr. Nixon did are tacitly contributing to it.
Alberta PoliticsWildrose whip condemns racist imagery after the fact? That dog won’t hunt! Jason Nixon should have walked away - Alberta Politics
