VANCOUVER – A former politician caused a minor uproar on Twitter on Wednesday for questioning whether B.C. Premier Christy Clark’s cleavage-bearing outfit was appropriate for question period.
“Is Premier Clark’s cleavage revealing attire appropriate for the legislature?” David Schreck, a former NDP provincial representative, tweeted on Wednesday afternoon.
He was slammed by Twitter users who described his comments as “extremely sexist” and “inappropriate.” The furor even prompted one Twitter user to dub the debate “Cleavagate.”
Schreck defended his comment about Clark, saying it was her attire that was “inappropriate.”
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“I was watching question period and noticed the premier was showing a lot more cleavage than normal. I’ve got nothing against cleavage, but there’s appropriate dress for appropriate occasions. And I thought the way the premier was dressed was inappropriate for the legislature,” he said. “It could be that I’m just an old fogie, but it was my wife who originally raised the question.”
He said he wasn’t intending to “attack” Clark.
“I made an innocent observation on Twitter that I thought she was inappropriately dressed, showing too much cleavage for the legislature,” said Schreck. “A number of people piled on saying I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m not backing off from the position.”
Schreck, now a political pundit, was the NDP representative for a Vancouver-area riding from 1991 to 1996.
He also served as special adviser to former B.C. premiers Glen Clark from 1998 to 1999, and Ujjal Dosanjh from 2000 to 2001.
Clark became B.C. premier in March after unpopular Liberal leader Gordon Campbell stepped down. The 45-year-old Clark has a 10-year-old son and is a former broadcaster.
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