Over the weekend the NDP issued a statement about the behaviour of one of their B.C. candidates at a youth environment conference 12 years ago, but the party's release may have lacked some key details.
The September 21 statement quoted Saanich-Gulf Islands candidate Julian West saying, “On a number of occasions throughout the weekend I removed my clothing, in the presence of minors. Beyond that nothing inappropriate occurred.”
Other accounts differ. Told of West's statement, Steve Kisby said, “I would say that's a matter of judgment.”
Kisby was a provincial Green Party official at the time and led an investigation into the complaints. He remains involved in the Green Party. “There were a lot of conflicting opinions of what happened. It really was hard to determine what the facts were,” he said. “Some of the allegations did go beyond skinny dipping, but they were allegations.”
He added, “There was skinny dipping and there was body painting, and a number of people were involved in both.” He said West was involved in both activities.
In June, 1996, the Province newspaper reported that West skinny dipped, but also that he “got too excited during naked body painting” at a Conference for Earth at Mesachie Lake near Duncan. The story quoted Cowichan Secondary School principal Tom Miller saying several of the dozen young witnesses requested counselling and there were “fits of crying.” A parent said one child “nearly vomited.”
West said in a phone interview he believes his statement was accurate. Asked if he got an erection during the incident, West said, “no.”
Reminded of the Province story, he said, “I don't want to start comparing media outlets to say which one had the more accurate story.”
He took no steps to correct the Province's 1996 account, he said. “I did not engage in any sort of back and forth with the media about details in stories at that time . . . Media get things wrong all the time. You just have to accept that people say what they say.”
West is one of three green candidates trying to unseat oil-friendly natural resources minister Gary Lunn in Saanich-Gulf Islands. Environmental activist and writer Briony Penn is running for the Liberals and Andrew Lewis is the Green Party candidate. Lewis last year refused a request from environmentalists asking him to drop out of the race to reduce vote splitting.
West blamed his political opponents for resurrecting the 12-year-old story.
Kisby said, “Clearly bringing this up at this time, when the person has been a candidate for a long time, seems a little underhanded.”
Last week the NDP withdrew two B.C. candidates. Dana Larsen, a candidate in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country stepped out after it was revealed there are videos on the internet of him driving while stoned and his seed company was selling coca plants. Kirk Tousaw, a civil libertarian lawyer, dropped out in Vancouver-Quadra citing his past work on drug policy reform.
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee's Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. You can reach him here.
Who circulated this story?
I have just two questions. What is the name of the Liberal Party official who circulated Emails to reporters about this twelve year old episode?
And concerning the 1996 Province newspaper account which Andrew MacLeod is leaning on here, who was the reporter and how were the "facts" checked? IOWs, if one HS Principal said that such and such happened, even if they weren't acutally there at the time, does that count as fact or as allegation?
Wreck Beach - Will It Wreck Lives Too?
Were charges ever laid with Julian West 12 years ago? Maybe we should have Elections Canada vet out people based on past experiences:
- nude bathing, public or private?
- casual sex ?
- addictions, where do we start?
- how many packs of cigarettes does one
smoke?
At this rate, it looks like we will have to review Gordon Campbell's Hawaiian drinking escapades before the coming elections as well.
Maybe its time to let the public into the bedrooms of the nation, including their own. Seriously though, people skinny dipping happens everywhere and by all walks of life. Go to europe where there is an acceptance of nudity that we still don't have here. Sure it can be a difficult subject for some, but in this day and age we all need to get over it and grow up.
The Tyee needs to seriously consider when to risk ruining someones life based on a 12 year old account. Let the justice system do that.
In my view, the guy was
In my view, the guy was plainly stupid a number of years ago. Stripping in front of kids sure showed a lack of maturity.
Some folks have mentioned Dr. Brioney Penn doing her Lady Godiva event as a similar thing. No comparison. The woman wore a body stocking and a very long wig and did so to draw attention to a serious issue, not to let it all hang out like the idiot West.
Am I a Liberal, no, do I vote in that riding, no, but if I did I'd vote for Brioney in a heartbeat. West has buried himself. a bit of a idiot showing of for the kids.
Nude swimming ...
People should be ashamed of themselves for bringing up such a silly issue at a time, when they should pay attention to REAL isues at election time, such as the SSP and the NAU. I bet dollars to doughnuts, that few people know, what I am talking about, so here goes: All our political "leaders" are in league with the puppeteers of the NWO and are hellbent on destroying our society, souvereignty and our Rights and Freedoms. Case in point:
Bills C-51 and C-52 were about taking away our Right to Privacy and Freedoms and when questioned about these things, my MP sent me a 'form letter' explaining that this is for our own good and protection from non-prescription supplements, minerals and vitamins. WHAT A LOT OF HUGHIE! Drugs that cause many side effects and even death are kept on the market, but "HEALTH(?) CANADA" want to take our personal freedoms away so a bureaucratic idiot can walk into your house without a warrant and take whatever he wants, charge you for hauling it away and storing it and if you wanted it back you would have to fight the bastard in court, lose, what is rightfully your own property and get fined 5 million dollars for this outrageous "LAW!" you broke? Those are the things our media should bring out and discuss! NOT NUDE SWIMMING!!!
M-I-C-K-E-Y....
Attention Jack Layton: Please call your vetting department...
And then there was the Mercer Report
Wasn't there an quick shot of Rick and Bob going skinny dipping on the Mercer Report. I wonder if Bob will resign. I know the tory candidate who posed for a camera with nothing on but the chain of office has not resigned nor do I care if she does. This kind of thing is designed to take the focus from real important policy issues. It's the mainstream media that needs to get a reality check. I really don't even care to see time devoted to it here.
Going for the skinny on skinny dipping
Let's see..... priorities, priorities...what ever shall we do?
The substantial? The trivial?
I know, I know.... focus, focus......gawd, it's hard to choose......
On the one hand:
The impending sale of Canada?
But on the other... (drum roll please....followed by oh-so-ominous music):
The looming threat of skinny dipping?!
Oh.... Noooooooooooooooooooo! Not that!
Wow! what a conundrum to be faced with!
How will Canada ever survive?
Perhaps we should call for a referendum....
Or......
Then again, perhaps that's exactly why Canada is on the brink of losing its sovereignty.
Credibility's gone for a swim
Yet another controversial candidate in the NDP ranks... This really effects the credibility of the Party as a whole. No matter which way you look at it, there is only 1 Green candidate in the riding that has not dirtied his image --and that's Andrew Lewis.
Sigh
Really, my point is this: If you are truly that stupid and/or pervy, you are not fit for office.
Yeah, yeah, harrumph, harrumph, the NDP are higher purpose people and all that, and really they have more important issues to talk about, and we, the unwashed should be more serious about all this, but WTF people: stop embarrassing yourselves by passing idiots through the process.
Say Lynn
You should get your news in more places than just the Tyee for a objective view of events. EDITED -- UNSOURCED ALLEGATIONS
Would you go "skinny dipping" with this guy Lynn? Or have no problem with your daughters doing it?
If It Looks Like A Green Duck, Talks Like..., Walks Like
If it talks like a Green Duck, walks like a Green Duck, it must be A Green Duck.
So Kisby the Green is helping to spread this slanderous info about an NDP candidate, and VancouverPointGreen says:
Do these greens have something to slander the other candidates with too? I guess this is how the Green Party does their green washing. Frankly I think its time for these so called greenies to crawl back down into the gutters whence they came.
Sorry Tyee
Re; EDITED -- UNSOURCED ALLEGATIONS
You're right, I should have out in the source where these allegations came from.
Below is a partial reprint from the CTV website-
Nude with teens incident haunts NDP candidate
Updated: Mon Sep. 22 2008 22:02:37
ctvbc.ca
But that is not the view of a woman who said she witnessed the incident and is speaking out for the first time to CTV.
"He did skinny dip, which even if that was all he did, is still insanely inappropriate to do around teenagers,'' said Leah Jones, during a phone interview with CTV.
"We were doing face-painting and he decided he wanted to get his legs painted, and some of the girls were painting his legs, and he took off his underwear and he had a partial erection and said why stop there girls,'' Jones said.
Anyone been to
Anyone been to Europe?...only the fools and the ignorant would take this serious...it appears that I could not run for office as I have been swimming naked many times in Spain and even at Toronto Island and, oh migod, there were woman and children present...but you know, they are more mature than many comenters, reporters and politicians in this country...maybe it is time that Election's Canada had a mandate to lay charges for malicious endevours by the parties and the media and like the law, ignorance should not be a justification for this infantile behavior....grow up Canada, else we will become our neighbour.
Wake up!
This has gone far beyond "swimming without clothes" Witnesses, WHO WERE THERE, are coming forward with serious allegations since this hit the news.
And before I'm accused of participating in a neocon witch hunt just let me state I have a daughter and if a Conservative candidate was accused of this my reaction would be exactly the same.
This goes beyond politics.
Beyond Politics
You're right happy - although the source of these 'allegations' is a trifle questionable...all the same, Julian West should pull out of the race and NDP voters should throw their support (firmly holding their noses) behind Briony Penn. The Green party - where I think this dirty campaign came from - should be frozen out.
It gives me absolutely no pleasure to suggest anyone should vote Liberal...but, under the circumstances, the somewhat lesser evil is preferrable.
Anything to get rid of a disaster like Lunn.
I'll be sending Layton and Julian West an email.
to those who wish to complain
about this incident now, well you're 12 years to late. You have no credibility! If you were there and there was something to this, then why the delay? Please elaborate why you waited.....
crh - doesn't matter - politics isn't about that
It's about 'appearances' and the candidate has recognized that and pulled out.
It's too bad that's what democracy has become but there is no point in denying it...
The key now is for the opposition to unite around a single candidate to dump Lunn...as such, the exercise won't have been a total loss.