A racist BC veterinarian, who was recorded uttering “Gone are the days when we could go there with a torch and burn it down, a quicker way,” in response to his hatred for South Asian veterinarians who won the landmark BC Human Rights Tribunal case against their regulatory body, is being honoured by Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) . Dr. Rob Ashburner, who was the chair of the BC Veterinary Medical Association (BCVMA) Review Committee at the time he uttered those racist and vile words, was honoured last week with the 2023 Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Distinguished Member Award for his significant contributions to the national veterinary profession.
By R. Paul Dhillon – Editor DESIBUZZCanada
QUEBEC CITY – A racist BC veterinarian, who was recorded uttering “Gone are the days when we could go there with a torch and burn it down, a quicker way,” in response to his hatred for South Asian veterinarians who won the landmark BC Human Rights Tribunal case against their regulatory body, is being honoured by Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) .
Dr. Rob Ashburner, who was the chair of the BC Veterinary Medical Association (BCVMA) Review Committee at the time he uttered those racist and vile words, was honoured last week with the 2023 Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Distinguished Member Award for his significant contributions to the national veterinary profession.
But in 2005, a group of 15 Indo-Canadian veterinarians sued Ashburner, then head of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, for slander, saying he promoted “hatred and contempt” against them on the basis of colour, race, religion or ethnic origin.
The Vancouver Sun newspaper reported at the time that “in a statement of claim filed Friday in B.C. Supreme Court, the 15 vets allege Dr. Robert Ashburner, who is also the chair of the conduct review committee for the B.C. Veterinary Medical Association, made slanderous comments about low-cost clinics run predominantly by Indo-Canadian veterinarians.”
“They are innocent until proven guilty. And what can you do? You have to let the system do it,” Ashburner is quoted as saying in the statement of claim.
“Gone are the days when we could go there with a torch and burn it down, a quicker way.”
When reached on his cellphone by the Sun, Ashburner said he did not recall making those comments and added they are “not something I would have said.”
Nineteen veterinarians, including Dr. Hakam Bhullar, also lodged a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal complaint against the BCVMA at the time demanding the English proficiency requirement be repealed.
Bhullar and several other Indo-Canadian veterinarians have also launched a case in B.C. Supreme Court calling for Osborne’s resignation, the Sun reported at the time.
Further at the Human Tribunal hearings, the judge wrote: “Generally, I found that Dr. Ashburner’s comments were inappropriate and many were negative generalizations about unnamed Indo-Canadian veterinarians. Many of Dr. Ashburner’s comments promoted stereotypes based on race or could reasonably be perceived to be doing so, such as his comment about only half of the veterinarians from the Punjab being decent people, the negative commentary about the education system in the Punjab, and that Dr. Bhullar, even if not licensed, would hire other incompetents, which the evidence had shown were Indo-Canadian veterinarians. I accept that Dr. Ashburner did not intend his comments to be racist, but viewed objectively and in context, a reasonable interpretation of the comments is that they are founded on negative stereotypes based on race.”
DESIBUZZCanada reached out to CVMA for comment on why such an individual who has clearly made racist and discrimination part of his professional conduct is being honoured with this distinction but we have not heard back from them at press time.
The CVMA press release states that Dr. Ashburner graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in 1984 and went on to own a companion animal practice in Vancouver. His involvement with service to the profession of veterinary medicine is more than 30 years long. After graduating from WCVM, he joined a committee of the British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association, which he served for 20 years, including two terms as President. In 2006, while he was the President of CVMA, he established the Economic Survey Program in cooperation with the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA), which continues today.
Dr. Ashburner is a CVMA Canadian representative on the Council of Education Site Accreditation team and is a member of CVMA Workforce Advisory Group, as well as a Member of the Steering Committee – Labour Market Study of BC Veterinary Sector. He is a Director and Treasurer of the CVMA-Society of British Columbia Veterinarians (SBCV), a growing organization that provides service to B.C. veterinarians. The SBCV was recently successful in its advocacy to have the provincial government double the number of B.C. students accepted into WCVM; a feat achieved after four years of consistent work.
The CVMA press release also had a quote from one Indo-Canadian veterinarian Dr. Baljit Singh, Vice-President Research, University of Saskatchewan, who also seemed to be okay to look the other way on Ashburner’s past shameful behavior and racist comments against veterinarians from his own community.
“I got to work directly with Dr. Ashburner when he was appointed to represent B.C. on the National Examining Board. It was an amazing experience to see a national leader bring deep and thoughtful perspectives to the work of the NEB that oversees the process for the grant of Certificate of Qualification for veterinarians in Canada,” Singh said.
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) is the national and international voice for Canada’s veterinarians, providing leadership and advocacy for veterinary medicine. Each year, the CVMA proudly recognizes individuals and groups for their outstanding contribution to veterinary medicine. Visit canadianveterinarians.net to learn more about the CVMA.
