Former BC gov’t minister speaks out
February 14th, 2025
The JCC Jewish Book Festival opens Feb. 22 with Selina Robinson (at right) talking about her memoir, Truth Be Told (self-published $30), in conversation with Marsha Lederman.
Robinson was a senior minister in BC government, helping guide the province through an unprecedented pandemic and overseeing a successful economic recovery. Then came October 7, 2023, the start of the Gaza/Israel war and a global tsunami of antisemitism. Robinson – one of Canada’s most prominent Jewish elected officials – felt she was instantly in the sights of anti-Israel and antisemitic activists.
In her memoir, Robinson reflects on the antisemitism she experienced in government and the silence of colleagues who betrayed the values she thought they shared. More than a personal testimony, Truth Be Told is a cautionary story of the dangers to ethnocultural communities, multiculturalism and democracy itself.
SELINA ROBINSON was elected as the MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville in 2013, 2017 and 2020. She was the Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills as well as the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Selina was a family therapist and worked with the Jewish Family Services before entering politics.
MARSHA LEDERMAN is a columnist at the Globe and Mail. Her areas of interest include social justice issues, politics, feminism, the environment, arts and culture, etc. 9781069165107
Leave a Reply