Jim Pankiw, a chiropractor and former politician is before a Canadian Human Rights tribunal this week, facing four complaintents. It has taken four years for the case to get to this point.
A Canadian Human Rights tribunal heard Monday that pamphlets mailed to Saskatoon residents in 2003 and 2004 by then-member of Parliament Jim Pankiw were racist and stirred up negative feelings toward aboriginal people.
He mailed out pamphlets while running for election.
…the series of pamphlets, (were) mailed between December 2002 and June 2004.
Pankiw used his MP communications budget to send “householder” mailouts to Saskatoon residents both within and outside his Saskatoon-Humboldt riding. He lost his seat in the 2004 election.
…The pamphlets, bearing slogans such as “Stop Indian Crime” and “It’s Clear Who the Racists Are,” called for a halt to affirmative action programs, which he called “race-based hiring quotas for Indians.”
They also criticized sentencing provisions that require judges to consider the life experience of offenders with aboriginal ancestry in cases that could attract provincial jail terms.
The human rights complaints allege Pankiw engaged in a discriminatory practice on the basis of race or ethnic origin in a matter related to denial of goods or services, publication of discriminatory notices and harassment.
Pankiw testified Wednesday:
Former member of parliament Jim Pankiw called images and captions on pamphlets that sparked nine human rights complaints “frivolous” and designed to attract attention.
Speaking at a Canadian Human Rights tribunal hearing Tuesday, Pankiw took responsibility for three brochures between 2002 and 2004 and said he is proud of them, but repeatedly suggested his parliamentary assistant was a force behind them.
