Areas of interest
Social justice, LGBTQ2 rights, environmentalism, and the right to physician-assisted death.
Education
- JD, Law and Science, University of British Columbia
Biography
Svend Robinson was one of the longest-serving federal Members of Parliament (MP) in British Columbia history, representing the community of Burnaby, including SFU, with the New Democratic Party for over twenty-five years (1979–2004). Since leaving federal politics, he has continued this tradition of public service internationally, and for almost a decade has worked with The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, based in Switzerland. From his first election at the age of 27, Svend has charted a number of important firsts: he remains the only MP to be imprisoned for civil disobedience, at Clayoquot Sound in 1993; and was Canada’s first openly gay MP. His experiences of standing in solidarity with Cuba and the Palestinian people in occupied Israeli territory; being adopted into the Haida Nation in 1985; running for the leadership of his party in 1995; and tackling Big Pharma, bring an important perspective that will enrich ongoing discussions within and beyond the university community.