Editor:
I see by the 9,572 votes (nearly one fifth of voters) who chose Heather Leung in the Burnaby North-Seymour riding that the homophobic label that Svend Robinson irresponsibly branded her with didn’t stop people from voting for her.
Svend’s assertion to a talk show host that “she was dead meat” said more about his character than Heather’s status in the riding. His presenting her as a vile and heinous woman filled with hatred was a complete and obviously intentional misrepresentation of Heather’s heart to stand up for the oppressed, - no reference to hating anyone.
This was never about homophobia, but about Svend willing to stoop to false character assassination to win an election - unfortunately a tactic used often in Canadian politics.
By taking the lead back there in 2011, Leung was demonstrating her integrity as a member of the Burnaby community and the courage of her convictions. We can only hope she is not dissuaded from running again in a political environment much in need of both integrity and courage of convictions.
Terry Brown, North Vancouver
