Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 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

    Capt Amarinder Singh Sworn-In As Punjab Chief Minister, Amid Religious Prayers, Assumes Office

    Capt Amarinder Singh Sworn-In As Punjab Chief Minister, Amid Religious Prayers, Assumes Office
    The second floor office of Punjab's 26th Chief Minister reverberated with the chanting of sacred hymns from the Bhagwad Gita, Guru Granth Sahib, Quran and Bible as he entered it in the company of several of his newly inducted ministerial colleagues, legislators, close aides and associates.

    Capt Amarinder Singh Sworn-In As Punjab Chief Minister, Amid Religious Prayers, Assumes Office

    Refugees Get Crash Course In Curling As Part Of 'Welcome To Canada' Event

    Refugees Get Crash Course In Curling As Part Of 'Welcome To Canada' Event
    Roughly two weeks after arriving in Canada from Thailand, Arun Daniel isn't quite used to the cold — but he's getting better acquainted with one of the country's favourite winter sports.

    Refugees Get Crash Course In Curling As Part Of 'Welcome To Canada' Event

    Three People Arrested, $25,000 Of Drugs Seized From A Vehicle In New Westminster

    Three People Arrested, $25,000 Of Drugs Seized From A Vehicle In New Westminster
    Three people were arrested after the New Westminster Police Department seized drugs with an estimated street value of $25,000 from a vehicle in New Westminster early Tuesday morning.

    Three People Arrested, $25,000 Of Drugs Seized From A Vehicle In New Westminster

    Four Men Arrested And Charged For Extortion Of Burnaby Resident

    Burnaby RCMP has arrested four Lower Mainland residents who attempted to extort a Burnaby resident.

    Four Men Arrested And Charged For Extortion Of Burnaby Resident

    B.C. Home Sales 'Typical' For February But Far Short Of February 2016

    B.C. Home Sales 'Typical' For February But Far Short Of February 2016
    VANCOUVER — Home sales across British Columbia in February were typical for the month, according to real estate experts, but when compared to sales just one year earlier, the numbers appear much more stark.

    B.C. Home Sales 'Typical' For February But Far Short Of February 2016

    WATCH: Manitoba Woman Captures Near-death Experience As Truck Plunges Through Ice

    WATCH: Manitoba Woman Captures Near-death Experience As Truck Plunges Through Ice
    A Manitoba woman captured a chilling near-death experience on video as the truck she was in plunged through the ice. 

    WATCH: Manitoba Woman Captures Near-death Experience As Truck Plunges Through Ice