Vancouver mayor apologizes for F-bomb
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is the latest politician whose use of the F-word caught on tape in a public forum has landed him in hot water.
After several hours of listening to input about a planned community advisory committee for the West End at a city council meeting last Thursday, Robertson's frustration boiled over.
However, he apparently forgot the microphone was on when he made the following comments:
"Who are all these f--king … who are all these hacks? … We want consultation … We're just trying to have a little advisory committee for f--k's sakes…."
In the clip that's been uploaded to YouTube, Robertson appears to curse and criticize a group of public speakers who are members of the group West End Neighbours.
The group is opposed to a controversial rental housing program that would see developers build rental housing in the West End.
"It shows quite a lot of disrespect for the citizens," said Randy Helton, a member of the West End Neighbours Association. "It's like bullies in a school or something. They're not listening to the message, trying to discount us."
"We just felt that the mayor and the Vancouver councillors are very insincere, and those words that they spoke off the camera but into the microphone are very consistent with their behaviour in using their majority to control council, to ram things through council that they want to do without really listening to the community."
The mayor has apologized for the comments, admitting they were inappropriate and disrespectful and that he was frustrated after a long and contentious council meeting.
"Either way, there is no excuse, and I want to express my apologies to the people who came to speak at council," Robertson said in a statement Monday.
City council passed a motion at the meeting to create an advisory committee for the rental program.
In May, Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth stirred controversy when she told women's groups who were criticizing the government's maternal health initiative to "shut the f--k up."