BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson referred to victims of domestic violence as people who are “in a tough marriage” much to the dismay of the NDP’s Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity.

Wilkinson was responding to a piece in the Throne Speech which spoke to giving five days of paid leave for victims of domestic and sexual violence.

Speaking on The Jeff Andreas Show, Mitzi Dean says those comments show how out of touch the Liberal leader is. “Really concerning that if leaders of political parties don’t understand the issue that resources won’t be there and that people won’t be able to access the services that they need, where they need them and when the need them.”

Wilkinson apologized for his terminology after the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia also responded.

This was the wrong choice of words and I got it wrong. Victims of domestic violence need their voices heard and our unwavering support, and I want everyone to know they have that with me. #bcpoli https://t.co/gp7qDTFrVs

— Andrew Wilkinson (@Wilkinson4BC) February 12, 2020

Dean didn’t feel it was very genuine. “He was just saying that he thought he used the wring words. It is absolutely shocking that his first initial response was saying that it’s a tough marriage. It shows a real lack of understanding of the prevalence of the incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault across this province.”

“It shows a lack of understanding of the issue, it shows a lack of compassion for people have experienced sexual assault and domestic violence and it just shows again that the leader of the opposition is out of touch.”

Listen to the entire interview below.

https://soundcloud.com/user-965676831/jeff-andreas-show-mitzi-dean-feb-13

Photo via Twitter