(This column was published in the North Shore News on Apr. 21, 2004)
Held to a higher standard
By Leo Knight
I'D like to thank Svend Robinson.
No, really I would.
I wanted to talk this week about accountability following last week's exposure of the failure of the Chief Constable of the Calgary Police Service to take action against a senior officer under a vast, dark cloud of suspicion amid allegations of being involved in a Ponzi scam that defrauded as many as 30 Calgary police officers among others, of over $900,000.
And then Robinson, God bless his little cotton socks, serves himself up on a platter to expand on the issue.
Last week we spoke about police and how they are rightly held to a higher standard. Indeed, so it should also be to others who hold public office. And that is exactly why the irascible and incomprehensible Burnaby MP, Svend Robinson, held that laughable press conference trying to spin his way out of what appears to be a tawdry incident of theft.
Oh, and the charge might be theft over, an indictable offence, I might add. A small matter of pocketing a $50,000 diamond ring it seems, the property of an auction house from a showing at the Vancouver airport.
At his little show and wail, media darling Robinson boo-hoo-hooed his way into trying to have us believe it was a sudden impulsive gesture and he got a case of the galloping guilties and spent the next few days trying to contact the auction house to return the ill-gotten booty.
Well, whatever. But, it seems the auction house was already onto Robinson. He had already bought something on a credit card prior to his severe brain cramp.
Oddly enough in this day and age at events such as these with thousands of dollars hanging around on tables and booths, the owners try and protect their stuff. They use cameras, undercover operatives and other security equipment to try and ward off people who might covet their wares without considering the payment option.
And so it was for poor Robinson. The cameras allegedly caught him - as opposed to the spin he tried to give the assembled media.
In the interim, poor stressed-out Robinson retained famed defence counsel Clayton Ruby, oddly enough an Ontario lawyer for White Swan, a child of the Left Coast.
And, with nowhere else to turn, Robinson threw himself on the mercy of the gathered media.
It was certainly nice to learn that Robinson stepped aside from the nomination in Burnaby-Douglas while he works full time on the "healing" process. But he didn't close the door on a return to politics, presumably when he has healed.
You see, that's where the accountability thing comes in. His position has to become forfeit - and only to a point, given that he will still collect an MP's paycheque and perks while he is "healing" - because the system demands some type of accountability from those who hold public office.
But there was Robinson talking about stress and whatever else he could conjure up to try and leave the door open a crack for him to avoid the accountability the public so richly deserves and so seldom demands.
But he should not be allowed to wriggle off this hook. He can use whatever excuses he wants, but nothing could or should excuse his action.
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