Robbins now faces true test

Opinion

“I am going to prove to Spruce Woods that I’m the right person … and I’m going to be that person for them.”

— Progressive Conservative Spruce Woods MLA Colleen Robbins

Monday was, no doubt, a red-letter day for the newest member of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, as it denoted the end of stage one of her political career — getting elected. Colleen Robbins was sworn in at the legislature in Winnipeg on Monday afternoon in front of friends, family and her new colleagues.

It must be said that the process required to get that far is gruelling, often humbling and sometimes downright embarrassing — depending upon how many bumps there have been on the campaign trail to get you there.

In Robbins’ case, there were more than a few potholes on that dusty gravel road to her seat in the legislature.

Only a week before the byelection date, and just days before the Brandon Sun-Brandon University byelection debate, Robbins had to apologize for comments she made about residential schools four years earlier.

“I don’t believe for once that any human ever started the residential school to abuse children,” Robbins wrote on what was then called Twitter in July 2021. “I agree it was what they thought at the time to help the Indigenous, which didn’t happen.”

There was also a post that dated back to the Ontario teachers strike in 2020, in which Robbins said “this is actually why I hate unions.”

These comments, along with others about Donald Trump that were posted earlier this year, were forwarded to the Sun by multiple people. Screenshots of Robbins’ comments were also posted online by supporters of other parties.

Robbins apologized for her “ignorance” of the history of residential schools in Canada, and said that she thought residential schools were more in line with regular schools “that people moved to, to be educated.”

And at the byelection debate, she made more than a few cringe-worthy comments, including one about the LGBTQ2+ community that did nothing to burnish her image as the right candidate for the job.

“I’ve always said that, but I honestly, I accept queers, I accept them all, and I have friends that are them. I have a campaign manager that is gay,” she said during the debate. “And I want to make it straight that I am not against any gay, lesbians whatsoever. I have lots of friends that are.”

Robbins also stated during the debate that parents should have more of a role compared to teachers when it comes to gender education out of a stated concern that gender-affirming surgery is being performed on minors in this province — only to again walk back her statement and apologize for saying something without fully understanding the subject.

Kelly Saunders, a political science professor at Brandon University, was not wrong when she noted that Robbins’ comments raised questions about her ability to rise to the standard that people have a right to expect from their elected officials.

Ultimately, however, the voters have the final say, and Robbins managed to outpace the NDP’s Ray Berthelette on byelection night by a distance of 70 votes to become the new Spruce Woods MLA.

While “a win is a win,” as she put it after the polls came in on Aug. 26, Robbins herself would likely concede that the byelection campaign she fought was not the smooth cruise to victory she had hoped for.

But as difficult and somewhat clumsy as that campaign was, the real test now lies before her — earning the trust of her new constituents. While it’s unlikely she will be much more than a backbench MP in what has become a confused and divided PC caucus, her performance over the next two years will decide her political fate.

In her election speech, Robbins promised to be “a representative that listens, that works hard every single day, and who never forgets this role is about service and not power.” She also promised those who did not vote for her that her door will be open to everyone.

To be fair to Robbins, that’s a good place to start.

And her stated commitment to ensuring that Premier Wab Kinew keeps his funding promises — about $300 million in spending — for the riding that he made before he called the byelection in July, is a worthy goal.

To that end, we sincerely hope that she rises to the occasion and becomes a solid representative for our region. After all, her success will ultimately benefit Spruce Woods — something we should all hope for.

But we would also urge the new Tory MLA to avoid the kind of thoughtless commentary that caused her so much trouble in the first place.