Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Matt Whitman, Halifax City Councillor, Accused Of Racism After 'Chinese Fire Drill' Video

Darpan News Desk, 28 Mar, 2017 11:52 AM
    HALIFAX — Police say they are looking into a video of a Halifax councillor and provincial Progressive Conservative candidate leaping from a car and laughing as he yells, "Chinese fire drill!" amid accusations that it is racially insensitive.
     
    RCMP Cpl. Dal Hutchinson said Tuesday that officers are reviewing the video posted by Coun. Matt Whitman to determine what action, if any, is required.
     
    "We'll look at it to see if it warrants us conducting an investigation," he said.
     
    Whitman removed the short video Sunday, a week after he posted it to his YouTube page. At the time, he said it had become a "distraction."
     
    The roughly 12-second video shows Whitman running around the car with a passenger after he screams the expression, prompting several people on Twitter to accuse him of being racially insensitive.
     
    "'Chinese fire drill' is the kind of thing that should get people fired from public office," tweeted Melissa Mackie on Saturday.
     
    Whitman, who is also the Progressive Conservative candidate for Hammonds Plains-Lucasville, would not comment, but said in a message that he wants to continue meeting with constituents.
     
    "This past Sunday I decided to remove the video after seeing the distraction it became," he said in a text message to Global News. "I look forward to continuing to meet with constituents in Hammonds Plains-Lucasville to talk about the issues that matter to them."
     
    Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie was not available for an interview about the video, and the party declined to give a comment.
     
    Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, who is a professor at Dalhousie University, said the expression is concerning because of its history.
     
    "A concern that I have about the term is the racist origin and hence racist overtones," she said in an email.
     
    The term dates back to a botched fire drill during the Second World War, according to University of King's College professor Simon Kow.
     
    "Some people will find it offensive," he said. "It obviously taps into a stereotype about Chinese, meaning something which is chaotic, confused, incompetent, that sort of thing."
     
    Kow, who is of Chinese descent, said in the context of more extreme comments made by public figures, the content of the video isn't surprising.
     
    "It's not OK," he said. "People should be careful how they use language."
     
    The RCMP has said police are also investigating whether the video was made while the car was on the road, and the force discourages people from this type of action while driving.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Halifax Police Chief Takes Part In Heated Debate Over Street Checks

    Halifax Police Chief Takes Part In Heated Debate Over Street Checks
    HALIFAX — Marcus James said he's been arrested three times while locking up the library where he works in Halifax's historically black north end — twice by police officers he had trained about diversity.

    Halifax Police Chief Takes Part In Heated Debate Over Street Checks

    'Unconscionably Stupid:' Judge Blasts Man For Balloon Flight Over Stampede

    'Unconscionably Stupid:'  Judge Blasts Man For Balloon Flight Over Stampede
    CALGARY — A man who strapped more than 100 helium balloons to a lawn chair and soared above the Calgary Stampede grounds apologized at his sentencing today.

    'Unconscionably Stupid:' Judge Blasts Man For Balloon Flight Over Stampede

    Police Allege Ex-patient Shot And Killed Ontario Chiropractor In His Clinic

    Police Allege Ex-patient Shot And Killed Ontario Chiropractor In His Clinic
    BURLINGTON, Ont. — Police say an Ontario chiropractor has died after a former patient allegedly shot him at his clinic.

    Police Allege Ex-patient Shot And Killed Ontario Chiropractor In His Clinic

    Social Work Student Fined $25,000 For Accessing Personal Health Info Without Permission

    Social Work Student Fined $25,000 For Accessing Personal Health Info Without Permission
    TORONTO — An Ontario student has been fined $25,000 for accessing personal health information, which provincial officials say is the highest penalty of its kind ever in Canada.

    Social Work Student Fined $25,000 For Accessing Personal Health Info Without Permission

    Toddler With Down Syndrome Models For British Retailer

    Toddler With Down Syndrome Models For British Retailer
    LONDON — A British clothing retailer is featuring a toddler girl with Down Syndrome as a model in its stores across the United Kingdom.

    Toddler With Down Syndrome Models For British Retailer

    Man Charged In Slaying Of Spouse At Long-Term Care Facility To Seek Bail: Lawyer

    Man Charged In Slaying Of Spouse At Long-Term Care Facility To Seek Bail: Lawyer
    Elfriede-Andree Duclervil says Michel Cadotte doesn't represent a risk to society and that some people see his alleged actions as driven by compassion.

    Man Charged In Slaying Of Spouse At Long-Term Care Facility To Seek Bail: Lawyer