Alberta cabinet minister disavows racist, sexist essay that won prize
CBC
Alberta's associate minister in charge of women's issues Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk says that an essay with sexist, racist and white nationalist elements never should have been awarded a prize in a contest for young women launched earlier this year.
The author, identified only as S. Silver, won third prize in the "Her Vision Inspires" contest.
The essay states that women are not equal to men and that their ability to bear children takes priority over trying to break into male-dominated careers.
The contest, which was a partnership between the legislative assembly and the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Canadian Region, asked women between the ages of 17 and 25 to describe their "unique vision for Alberta" and what they would do if elected an MLA.
The author adds that women who have given birth to two children or more should receive medals and financial incentives to prevent the "import" of "foreigners to replace ourselves."
"While it is sadly popular nowadays to think that the world would be better off without humans, or that Albertan children are unnecessary as we can import foreigners to replace ourselves, this is a sickly mentality that amounts to a drive for cultural suicide," Silver writes.
"The first rule of health for any biological population is their ability to reproduce and pass along their way of life into the future."
The essay was removed from the Alberta legislative assembly website Monday night after NDP MLA Janis Irwin posted screenshots of the essay on social media.
Armstrong-Homeniuk, the UCP MLA for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville and the newly appointed associate minister for status of women, tried to distance herself from the contest on Tuesday through a written statement.
Initially Armstrong-Homeniuk said the essay should never have been chosen. Hours later, after hearing from her caucus and cabinet colleagues about how the essay was chosen, she issued a second statement.
"It's clear that the process failed, and I apologize for my role in that," Armstrong-Homeniuk said.
"The selection of this particular essay and awarding it with third prize was a failure on my part as the head of the judging panel.
"Alberta's government values the contributions of women and newcomers, and we will continue working towards removing barriers to equality so that all Albertans can enjoy opportunities and success in our province."
Armstrong-Homeniuk's statement did not address questions about who else was on the judging panel.
