Robin Philpot
Encyclopedia
Robin Philpot is a Quebec
journalist and electoral candidate for the Parti Québécois
.
, Ontario
, where his father Roderick Philpot was an alderman of the city of Fort William
, Philpot is a graduate of Fort William Collegiate Institute and earned degrees in literature and history from the University of Toronto
. After working in Africa
, he established himself in Quebec
in 1974. In 1999, he became director of communications for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
in Montreal.
on the Rwandan Genocide
; his brother is the Montreal lawyer John Philpot, who represented Jean-Paul Akayesu and other defendants accused of genocide and crimes against humanity at the trials conducted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
.
Philpot is also notable for his role in attacking the former federal Liberal
government over the Option Canada
program, a promotional enterprise funded by the federal government intended to promote federalism in Quebec and counter the Quebec sovereignty movement
.
Philpot has also written a book about the way the Oka crisis
was used as a political tool for English Canada, following the failed Meech Lake Accord: Oka: dernier alibi du Canada anglais (1991)
A People's History of Quebec (Montreal: Baraka Books, 2009) by Philpot and Jacques Lacoursière
is described as the first concise English-language social history
of Quebec.
in the 2007 Quebec general election
, representing the Parti Québécois
. During the campaign, certain of Philpot's remarks about the Rwandan Genocide from his book Rwanda 1994: Colonialism Dies Hard were widely republished and proved embarrassing to PQ leader André Boisclair
.
These included the statement "In none of my writings have I denied that there were mass killings, some even of an ethnic character. However, I categorically reject the abusive use of the expression 'genocide,'".
Philpot claims never to have denied the existence of the genocide, but has been criticized by researchers Pierre Trudel and Callixte Kabayiza for supporting the thesis of the double genocide.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
journalist and electoral candidate for the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
.
Background
Originally from Thunder BayThunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, where his father Roderick Philpot was an alderman of the city of Fort William
Fort William, Ontario
Fort William was a city in Northern Ontario, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Ever since then it has been the largest city in Northwestern...
, Philpot is a graduate of Fort William Collegiate Institute and earned degrees in literature and history from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. After working in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, he established himself in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in 1974. In 1999, he became director of communications for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec Sovereignism. Its current President is Mario Beaulieu....
in Montreal.
Public profile
He is notable for having called into question the testimony of Roméo DallaireRoméo Dallaire
Lieutenant-General Roméo Antonius Dallaire, is a Canadian senator, humanitarian, author and retired general...
on the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
; his brother is the Montreal lawyer John Philpot, who represented Jean-Paul Akayesu and other defendants accused of genocide and crimes against humanity at the trials conducted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is an international court established in November 1994 by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 955 in order to judge people responsible for the Rwandan Genocide and other serious violations of international law in Rwanda, or by Rwandan...
.
Philpot is also notable for his role in attacking the former federal Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
government over the Option Canada
Option Canada
Option Canada was a Montreal-based lobby group established some eight weeks before the voting day of the 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty. According to registration papers filed with both the Canadian and Quebec governments, the private group was incorporated by executives of the Canadian...
program, a promotional enterprise funded by the federal government intended to promote federalism in Quebec and counter the Quebec sovereignty movement
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
.
Philpot has also written a book about the way the Oka crisis
Oka Crisis
The Oka Crisis was a land dispute between a group of Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec, Canada which began on July 11, 1990 and lasted until September 26, 1990. At least one person died as a result...
was used as a political tool for English Canada, following the failed Meech Lake Accord: Oka: dernier alibi du Canada anglais (1991)
A People's History of Quebec (Montreal: Baraka Books, 2009) by Philpot and Jacques Lacoursière
Jacques Lacoursière
Jacques Lacoursière, CM, CQ is a French-speaking TV host, author and historian from Quebec, Canada.-Life and career:Lacoursière was born in Shawinigan, Mauricie, and currently resides in Beauport in the Greater Quebec area....
is described as the first concise English-language social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
of Quebec.
Political career
Philpot was an unsuccessful candidate for the riding of Saint-Henri—Sainte-AnneSaint-Henri—Sainte-Anne
Saint-Henri—Sainte-Anne is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The district is located in Montreal. Its boundaries are Autoroute 10 and Rue McGill to the north, the St. Lawrence River and the Canadian National railway to the...
in the 2007 Quebec general election
Quebec general election, 2007
The Quebec general election of 2007 was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on March 26, 2007 to elect members of the 38th National Assembly of Quebec. The Quebec Liberal Party led by Jean Charest managed to win a plurality of seats, but were reduced to a minority government, Quebec's first in...
, representing the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
. During the campaign, certain of Philpot's remarks about the Rwandan Genocide from his book Rwanda 1994: Colonialism Dies Hard were widely republished and proved embarrassing to PQ leader André Boisclair
André Boisclair
André Boisclair is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the leader of the Parti Québécois, a social democratic and separatist party in Quebec....
.
These included the statement "In none of my writings have I denied that there were mass killings, some even of an ethnic character. However, I categorically reject the abusive use of the expression 'genocide,'".
Philpot claims never to have denied the existence of the genocide, but has been criticized by researchers Pierre Trudel and Callixte Kabayiza for supporting the thesis of the double genocide.
External links
- Official website of Robin Philpot (inactive)
- Rwanda 1994: Colonialism dies hard by Robin Philpot, online e-book (English)