What happened: Former public safety minister resigns corporate roles after comparing racism to childhood bullying
Why it matters: Protests have been unfolding the past week in the wake of the death of George Floyd
Stockwell Day is out at Telus Corp. (TSX:T) and law firm McMillan LLP following comments on racism made during a CBC panel.
The former official opposition leader resigned from his role as a boardroom director of the Vancouver-based telecom giant effective June 3, a day after denying Canada has any issues with systemic racism.
He went on to compare racism with childhood bullying he faced.
“Should I have gone through school and been mocked because I had glasses and was called four-eyes and because of the occupation of my parents?” he remarked on CBC’s Power & Politics.
Earlier in the panel he said, “There's a few idiot racists hanging around, but Canada is not a racist country and most Canadians are not racist. And our system, that always needs to be improved, is not systemically racist."
Following backlash to the comments, Telus issued a statement confirming the former public safety minister had resigned from the company’s boardroom effective immediately.
“The views expressed by Mr. Day during yesterday’s broadcast of Power & Politics are not reflective of the values and beliefs of our organization,” the company said.
Vancouver-based law firm McMillan LLP also confirmed the same day that Day had resigned as a strategic adviser.
“By feedback from many in the Black and other communities I realize my comments in debate on Power and Politics were insensitive and hurtful,” Day tweeted June 3.
“I ask forgiveness for wrongly equating my experiences to theirs.”
Day’s initial remarks came after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Canada’s own issues with systemic discrimination and racism.
Protests throughout the world have been unfolding following the death George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed in a confrontation last week with Minneapolis police.
