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A few years ago, John Gormley included me in a short list of New Democrats he liked, praising my willingness to engage in debate. Given his recent column, it seems pretty clear that he’s moved me to his longer NDP list.

This is not too surprising, but it’s disappointing. Talking to people we disagree with is an opportunity to understand other points of view and refine our own. That’s why, a few weeks ago, when Mr. Gormley used language easily interpreted as a call to counter-protest the Justice for Our Stolen Children camp, I respectfully asked him to send a different message.

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Given current tensions in Saskatchewan, encouraging people to counter-protest would add fuel to an already dangerous situation. Indeed, the night before Gormley’s comments, a man who had set up camp near the teepees was seen waving a knife and was heard to shout “Sieg Heil” before being removed from the park by police.

I explained my concerns on Mr. Gormley’s show and, though reluctant to acknowledge any error, he did agree to discourage counter-protest. During that conversation I received a text from one of the people involved in the protest who said they’d spent the previous afternoon, in their words, “fending off angry Gormley listeners.” I can’t say how they reached the conclusion that the people who’d come by the camp heckling and revving their engines were listeners of Mr. Gormley’s program. Those events did, however, coincide with the days he used his time on air to criticize the actions of the people raising concerns about the problems in our child welfare system.