Editing Svend Robinson (section)

==Admission to theft and end of political career==
In April 2004, shortly before the [[2004 Canadian federal election|2004 election]], Robinson admitted to the theft of an expensive ring from a public auction site. He turned himself in to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]], and returned the ring shortly after police visited his home and office, wishing to speak with him. While the auction company publicly stated that they did not wish to pursue charges, Robinson was charged and pleaded guilty. The Crown and defence agreed that he was undergoing major personal stress and mental health issues at the time; Robinson was given a discharge, meaning that he would have no criminal record, but he volunteered for some time at the Burnaby Wildlife Centre as part of a public service commitment.<ref name=comeback>"Svend Robinson Running in Election". ''[[Maclean's]]'', December 19, 2005.</ref> He terminated his candidacy and was replaced by his longtime constituency assistant [[Bill Siksay]], who won the election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.518412|title=MP Svend Robinson admits theft, takes stress leave|date=16 April 2004|publisher=[[CBC News]]|access-date=7 April 2011}}</ref>

Robinson was subsequently diagnosed with [[cyclothymia]], a form of [[bipolar disorder]], and began to speak as an activist on [[mental health]] issues.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/svend-robinson-speaks-out-about-illness-1.539824 "Svend Robinson speaks out about illness"]. [[CBC News]], October 26, 2005.</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.burnabynow.com/news/svend-robinson-biography-reveals-the-man-behind-the-image-1.685619|title=Svend Robinson biography reveals the man behind the image|last=Moreau|first=Jennifer|date=November 5, 2013|access-date=July 2, 2017|newspaper=Burnaby Now}}</ref>

Robinson attempted a comeback and ran as an NDP candidate in the [[2006 Canadian federal election|2006 federal election]], challenging Liberal MP [[Hedy Fry]] in the riding of [[Vancouver Centre]].<ref name=comeback/> Despite an improved result for the NDP provincewide, Fry easily won reelection in her riding, where the NDP vote fell by 3.6 per cent.

In the [[2019 Canadian federal election|2019 Canadian General Election]] Robinson was nominated as the NDP candidate in [[Burnaby North—Seymour]], where he faced Liberal incumbent Terry Beech and lost by 1,560 votes.