Editing Svend Robinson (section)

==Politics==
Robinson was the [[New Democratic Party|NDP]] [[House of Commons of Canada|MP]] for [[Electoral district (Canada)|ridings]] in the [[Vancouver]] [[suburb]] of [[Burnaby]], [[British Columbia]], the third-largest city in British Columbia.

As the longest-serving British Columbia MP of his time, in office from 1979 to 2004, Robinson is notable for having been the first Canadian MP to [[Coming out|come out]] as [[gay]], in the spring of 1988.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/svend-robinson-gay-mp-1.4548089|title=30 years after Canada's first MP came out, LGBT politicians still face challenges|date=2018-02-24|website=cbc.ca|access-date=2019-10-21}}</ref> He was the only openly LGBT member of the [[House of Commons of Canada|Canadian House of Commons]] until [[Bloc Québécois]] MP [[Réal Ménard]] came out in 1994.

Robinson is known for his negative views on [[American foreign policy]], especially towards [[Cuba]], his challenge of corporate power, his [[criticism of Israel]], and his strong support for Palestinian leaders. Party leader McDonough briefly removed Robinson's portfolio over Middle East issues in 2002 for comments he made criticizing the Israeli government for alleged war crimes in [[Jenin]].<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ndp-demotes-robinson-because-of-misperception-1.354817 "NDP demotes Robinson because of 'misperception'"]. [[CBC News]], April 18, 2002.</ref>

One of his earliest political activities was leading a group of NDP MPs who heckled former US President [[Ronald Reagan]] while he was speaking at the House of Commons in support of the [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] and aid to the [[Contras]]. He was a long-time activist in the anti-apartheid movement and was a member of the official Canadian delegation to the [[1994 South African election]]. Robinson has also been critical of the [[China|Chinese]] government for its treatment of political dissidents and for its policies in [[Tibet]]. He was a founder of the Canadian wing of Parliamentarians for [[East Timor]]. He was active in international parliamentary groups, including serving as rapporteur and chair of the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]]'s Parliamentary Assembly Human Rights and Development Committee.<ref name=truelove />

Robinson was a leader in the [[Right to die|movement for the right]] to [[Assisted suicide|physician-assisted death]], fighting for the right of well-known [[ALS]] patient [[Sue Rodriguez]] to choose when to end her life with the assistance of a physician. He was ultimately present at her bedside at the time of her physician-assisted death.<ref>Joan M. Gilmour, "Death, Dying and Decision-Making about End of Life Care" in [[Jocelyn Downie]] et al (eds), ''Canadian Health Law and Policy'' (Canada: LexisNexis, 2007), page 471</ref>

A strong environmentalist, he engaged in peaceful civil disobedience to block logging of old-growth forests at Lyell Island in [[Haida Gwaii]] in 1985 and at [[Clayoquot Sound]] on the west coast of [[Vancouver Island]] in 1993.<ref name=clayoquot>[http://globalnews.ca/news/774070/twenty-years-later-the-war-in-the-woods-at-clayoquot-sound-still-reverberates-across-b-c/ "Twenty years later, the "War in the Woods" at Clayoquot Sound still reverberates across B.C."]. [[Global News]], August 11, 2013.</ref> For the latter action, he was sentenced to 14 days of imprisonment.<ref name=clayoquot /> Robinson was also an outspoken advocate of the rights of aboriginal peoples both in Canada and internationally. He stood at barricades with the Penan people in [[Sarawak]], Malaysia and was condemned by Prime Minister [[Mahathir Mohamad]].<ref name=truelove /> He was adopted into the [[Haida people|Haida]] Nation, and given the Haida name "White Swan" by Haida elder Ada Yovanovich.<ref name=truelove />

Robinson ran to succeed [[Audrey McLaughlin]] as leader of the NDP at the [[1995 New Democratic Party leadership election|1995 NDP leadership convention]]. He won the first ballot, and had won regional primaries in [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]], and British Columbia. Ahead of the second ballot between himself and [[Alexa McDonough]], Robinson noticed  last-place candidate [[Lorne Nystrom]]'s delegates were moving disproportionately to McDonough. Realizing that McDonough would likely pick up enough support from Nystrom's delegates to eliminate any realistic chance of him winning, Robinson conceded to McDonough before the second ballot. On a motion by Robinson, McDonough was acclaimed as leader.<ref name="Second Fiddle">{{cite news| title = Second fiddle leads NDP: McDonough wins, Robinson gives in | first = Hugh | last = Windsor | newspaper =[[The Globe and Mail]] | publisher = [[CTVglobemedia]] | location = Toronto | date = 1995-10-16 | pages = A1, A5 }}</ref>

On December 31, 1997, Robinson was injured in a hiking accident on [[Galiano Island]], breaking his jaw and ankle.<ref>"Svend Robinson has surgery after hiking accident". [[CBC News]], January 1, 1998.</ref>

Robinson was involved in the [[New Politics Initiative]], an effort to build a new progressive political party in Canada closely linked with social movements and labour,<ref>David Mutimer, ''Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs 2001''. [[University of Toronto Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-8020-9235-9}}.</ref> and the NDP's renewal process, although he remained committed to the party after the NPI's defeat at the 2001 general convention in [[Winnipeg]]. He was an early and strong supporter of former national NDP Leader [[Jack Layton]].

In 2003, [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] [[Jerry Grafstein]] suggested that September 11 be designated as "America Day" to commemorate the American victims of September 11, 2001. Robinson proposed that the day also be designated as "Chile Day", to mark the overthrow of Chilean president [[Salvador Allende]]'s democratically elected government on September 11, 1973. Neither proposal was accepted.

Robinson successfully sponsored legislation in parliament in 2004 to include [[sexual orientation]] in federal [[hate crimes]] legislation.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mps-vote-to-protect-gays-under-hate-law-1.384476 "MPs vote to protect gays under hate law"]. [[CBC News]], September 18, 2003.</ref> He was also active on [[HIV]]/[[AIDS]] issues from the start of the epidemic in the early 1980s.<ref name=truelove />