British Columbia Mining Minister Bill Bennett apologized to Jews Tuesday for an e-mail calling ardent proponents of a national park eco-fascists.
The Globe and Mail reported it had obtained an e-mail sent by Bennett -- who opposes turning a large portion of Flathead Valley into a park -- in which he wrote: "We either stand strong together against the loss of the Flathead
Valley to the eco fascists (sic), or we will lose the Flathead. I am there, if you are there."
Bennett, who supports logging and other commercial uses of the valley, said he regretted the use of what he called a "very unfortunate term," laying the blame on a staff member who inserted it into the e-mail without his knowledge or agreement. He said he has given instructions banning its use.
"I have many friends in the Jewish community, and I think that's where my sensitivity goes, first off the bat. I certainly don't mean any offense to
them," Bennett told the newspaper.
But he wasn't ready to lay off environmentalists, who he said "have a tendency" to lie, mislead and bully to attain their goals.
"It becomes a matter of ego, sometimes for these folks, to chalk up another big win on the map of British Columbia, and say, there, we've set aside
another area that we can claim for our own," he said.