THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay city council has rejected a request to support a call for the resignation of controversial Conservative Senator Lynn Beyak.
The motion, put forth by an absent Northwood Coun. Shelby Ch’ng, asked council to vote to support the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association board’s condemnation of Beyak’s comments.
Earlier this year Beyak said some good came out of the residential school system and then this month suggested Canada’s Indigenous population should trade in their status cards for Canadian citizenship.
The NOMA board also called for Beyak to step down from the Senate.
Ch’ng’s motion was narrowly defeated on Monday night, losing on a 6-6 tie, Couns. Rebecca Johnson, Trevor Giertuga, Brian McKinnon, Linda Rydholm and Joe Virdiramo, as well as Mayor Keith Hobbs, voting against it.
Johnson, chair of the city’s anti-racism committee, was the most vocal of the opponents, saying Canadians, under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, are free to speak their minds.
“We don’t have to agree with everything,” Johnson said, making her plea to her fellow councillors to defeat the motion.
“Whether right or wrong, she’s at least expressing her own opinion.”
Hobbs, who earlier in the day told APTN he would support Ch’ng’s motion, instead voted against it when the vote was called after a half-hour debate.
The mayor, back after two months of self-imposed exile to deal with personal legal matters, said he doesn’t see it as council’s role to censure sitting senators. That’s been handled by the caucus leadership he added. He noted Beyak has been removed from three committees she served upon, stated the punishments have been progressive and if she slips up again the Conservatives will act at that time.
“She’s on strike three,” Hobbs said.
Neebing’s Rydholm said she couldn’t support the motion that felt like hitting someone when she was down. Nor did she feel it was council’s place to call for Beyak’s resignation.
“To me, it’s not our decision to be acting on this,” she said.
McKellar Coun. Paul Pugh led the charge in favour of the motion.
Pugh said freedom of speech should only apply when the language used doesn’t hurt others, adding elected officials must be held to a higher standard when it comes to what the words they choose.
“Enough is enough,” Pugh said.
“I don’t buy this freedom of speech nonsense, from someone in that position, who takes it upon herself to insult the original people of my country. I take that personally as an insult to me.”
Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds said while he agrees people have a right to free speech, Beyak’s words weren’t productive ones and were injurious to a significant portion of the Canadian population.
“I’m not convinced the language Senator Beyak has used contributes positively or constructively to that dialogue and conversation,” said Foulds, who cast a yes vote.
“Her comments about residential schools or status cards I don’t think move us toward reconciliation.”
Couns. Larry Hebert, Aldo Ruberto, Frank Pullia, and Iain Angus also voted in favour of the motion.
