‘Shame, Shame on Jane’

“I’m usually a BC Liberals supporter, but I attended an event that included some talk about Bowinn Ma that bothered me,” read the email to B.C. political commentator Mo Amir, who shared it on Twitter.

“I’m sharing it with you because we need more young women in politics, and this kind of thing needs to be called out. I hope you can help.”

And called out it was.

What Amir shared was Zoom footage of a virtual political roast held on Sept. 17 for long-time BC Liberal MLA Ralph Sultan, who is not running again this election.

I’m not going to editorialize this.

Rather, I’d like to hear from women on how they feel about this clip.

I’m sharing because a woman reached out to me and asked me to do so (her email in below tweet).#bcpoli pic.twitter.com/AiDwFmBT7F

— Mo Amir ॐ This is VANCOLOUR (@vancolour) October 11, 2020

In the footage, BC Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite, joined by several fellow Liberals including party leader Andrew Wilkinson, launches into her “roast” of Sultan by recounting a time when her party was discussing who among them should hold Ma, an NDP MLA, to account over an issue.

“Except that Bowinn is a very pretty lady,” continued Thornthwaite. “And she knows that she’s got ‘it.’ And she knows how to get Ralph going.”

Several of the Liberals chuckle.

Thornthwaite, most recently the opposition critic for the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, is running again in North Vancouver-Seymour.

“And my, this is my roast part for Ralph,” Thornthwaite continues. “The day after, he’s telling us in caucus that we cannot accept what Bowinn Ma says anymore, because she is not saying the truth and she is taking credit for stuff that she shouldn’t be taking credit for. So I go to an event… the Cap U student union luncheon, and both Bowinn Ma and Ralph were stuck on the couch very, very close together, for almost the entire time…”

Sultan groans. “Yes, Ralph, you remember that,” Thornthwaite nods, smilingly.

“We were supposed to be networking… but Bowinn knows how to get you. She knows how to get you.

“Cuddling, cuddling up on the couch, little bit of cleavage there,” she says in a singsong voice. “And Ralph would be enthralled with her,” she finishes to an eruption of largely male laughter.

But few on Twitter found the roast funny.

“Sexist.”
“Petty.”
“Abhorrent.”

“This is shameful behaviour from @BCLiberalsCaucus leaders and [Andrew Wilkinson] does nothing to stop it. [Thornthwaite] is setting feminism back 50 years with the vile things she is saying about [Ma],” wrote one observer.

“Women should be holding each other up, not tearing each other down,” wrote another.

“Shame, shame on Jane.”

Shame shame on Jane, women should be holding each other up, not tearing each other down. The others should have shut it down. Abhorrent behavior.

— Shari O'Neill🇨🇦🍀🇮🇪 (@ShariONeill12) October 11, 2020

Green candidate Harrison Johnston, who is running against Thornthwaite in the North Vancouver-Seymour riding, weighed in:

This video represents everything that is wrong with politics!@BowinnMa is an incredible politician and inspiration to young women across BC

We need more politicians like Bowinn

These disgusting jokes from her colleagues expose just how antiquated the BC Liberals are https://t.co/7KVn8I0saT

— Harrison Johnston (@Harrison4NV) October 11, 2020

More Twitter reaction:

@jthornthwaite I’m in your riding, I usually vote for you, our kids went to school together - I would expect this dissing at a Blueridge ladies wine night, not during a professional meeting. @bcliberals do better

— Karin Paulson 🇨🇦 (@karinpaulson) October 11, 2020

Ummmm ... this shouldn't happen anywhere. Not in public and not in private.

— Kathryn Orr (@kcorr54) October 11, 2020

Same, it was petty juvenile and anything but funny. This is 12-13 yr old school girl talk BUT this is the way successful women are taken down all the time. It is not new and it is disgusting.

— Helen Heinrichs (@heinrichs_helen) October 11, 2020

It's disgusting and somebody should have stopped it.

— JWM "Wear a Mask and Don't be a Racist" (@JWMinBBY) October 11, 2020

To be clear, this is not “childish” or “high school”behaviour by @jthornthwaite. Our kids/teens have a much keener sense of awareness, self-awareness, and social responsibility. Don’t compare them to this meddling and irresponsible drivel fueled by ego.

— Joe Tong 湯溢傑 (he/him) (@teachertong) October 11, 2020

I think people should also call this out for the racism that it is. @BowinnMa is not just a woman but a woman of colour being spoken about behind her back by a bunch of white people.

— Keita (@kidkeita) October 11, 2020

The BC Liberals are in a really bad situation. Not just this election. https://t.co/04Cu4PYEMR

— Keith Baldrey (@keithbaldrey) October 11, 2020

This is all so gross, not a proudly, self-proclaimed mental health advocate partaking in behaviour that we try to correct in our school aged children...these “Legacy Leadership” types always with the “do as I say do, not as I do, do”

— Nurse Nyamekye🇬🇭🇨🇦 (@NurseNyamekye) October 11, 2020

As a wave of outrage built on social media, Katrina Chen, MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed, called Thorthwaite’s comments “disgusting,” adding: “This is one of the reasons why it’s hard for women, young women, moms + sisters to enter politics. Sexism exists + many of us have experienced it. But coming from a group of politicians — that’s a new low. This can’t be tolerated.”

“This video,” pronounced veteran B.C. political journalist Keith Baldrey, “has completely derailed the BC Liberal election campaign.”

Thornthwaite tweeted a non-apology this morning:

I have huge respect for all women who push through glass ceilings. I’m one of them. So is Bowinn Ma. Ralph Sultan has the same respect and a soft spot for his fellow UBC engineer, and I made light of that at a roast. I have always and will always support more women in politics.

— Jane Thornthwaite (@jthornthwaite) October 11, 2020

And followed it up later with this:

I wish to add this. The comments I made at the roast for my colleague Ralph Sultan fell flat and were inappropriate. I unreservedly apologize for making these comments. I have reached out to Bowinn Ma to apologize to her directly as well. I commit to doing better moving forward.

— Jane Thornthwaite (@jthornthwaite) October 11, 2020

Also Sunday morning, Ma tweeted:

We need to be a province that enables young women to take on leadership roles without fear of sexism. British Columbians deserve better from their political leaders. pic.twitter.com/sE3MbnKbSZ

— Bowinn Ma (@BowinnMa) October 11, 2020