Dozens of emails expressing outrage, disgust and disappointment poured into the inboxes of Nova Scotia’s premier and justice minister after Brad Johns said he didn’t consider domestic violence an epidemic, and he now says that reaction influenced his resignation from cabinet.
Records released under freedom of information legislation provide a glimpse into how the public responded when Johns made the comments during a news conference on April 18, the fourth anniversary of a shooting rampage that claimed the lives of 22 Nova Scotians.
Premier Tim Houston immediately said he disagreed and Johns issued an apology later that day. The following night Houston announced in a statement that Johns was stepping down as justice minister.
The initial comments and Johns’s apology elicited responses from people who identified as survivors of intimate partner violence as well as some who said they were PC Party supporters and critical of Johns’s actions. Only two …