Politics

Christine Anderson meeting: MPs silent after Poilievre comment – CTV News

Published

2 years ago

March 1, 2023

OTTAWA –

Two Conservative members of Parliament are remaining tight-lipped about whether they regret meeting with a German politician, which is something Pierre Poilievre has said they do.

Neither Leslyn Lewis nor Dean Allison have responded to direct questions about whether they agree with the Conservative leader’s characterization of their feelings about their choice to take part in a recent luncheon with Christine Anderson.

The German politician visited Canada as part of a tour organized by supporters of last winter’s “Freedom Convoy” staged around Parliament Hill and at several border crossings to protest against COVID-19 vaccines, health restrictions, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

Anderson, who is a member of European Parliament representing the Alternative for Germany party, expressed support for protesters at the time and spoke out against Trudeau.

The right-wing populist party has been under surveillance as a suspected extremist group in Germany since 2021 and has been accused of downplaying Nazi crimes, opposing immigration and pushing anti-Muslim ideology.

Bethan Nodwell, one of the organizers who arranged for Anderson to visit Canada and meet with three Conservative MPs during a lunch last week, said their discussion centred around Trudeau, vaccines, the convoy and pandemic-related restrictions, such as lockdowns.

She said it lasted about two hours and that “we parted ways with smiles and waving.”

Concerns about Lewis, Allison and fellow caucus member Colin Carrie choosing to meet Anderson emerged last week shortly after photographs of the luncheon began circulating on social media.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said it raised concerns directly with the Conservative party, and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center also condemned the meeting.

Both groups said it was “deeply concerning” and “troubling” that elected leaders in Canada met with Anderson when her party espouses “Islamophobic” and “hateful views.”

Poilievre’s office responded by releasing a statement from the official Opposition leader, saying it would have been better if Anderson never visited Canada and that his MPs were unaware of her opinions and “regret meeting with her.”

In the same email, his office also included a statement from Allison, Lewis and Carrie. It said that while it is not uncommon for elected officials to meet with counterparts from other countries, the trio were not “aware of the views or associations of her and her political party.” It added: “We do not share or endorse her views and strongly condemn any views that are racist or hateful.”

Carrie, who represents the riding of Oshawa, hours later tweeted that he “profoundly” regrets meeting with Anderson “without having sought the input of my staff” and taking a closer look at who he was meeting with.

The offices of Allison and Lewis, however, have not answered direct questions about whether Poilievre’s assertion that they regret attending the meeting is true. A spokesman for Poilievre also did not specify how he confirmed the MPs regret the meeting.

A staffer in Lewis’s office provided a statement to The Canadian Press on Monday, where the MP reiterates how her job requires her to meet with foreign officials “quite frequently and often do not share the views of those officials or their parties.”

She went on to defend her record as a lawyer where she says she stood up for the rights of immigrants and members of the LGBTQ community.

“Before becoming a member of Parliament one of my practice areas was human rights, and as such, I’ve always, and continue to, condemn any views that are racist or hateful,” said Lewis.

“As an immigrant to Canada myself I am blessed to have grown up here in Canada, and have seen, first hand, the vital role that immigration plays, both to us as Canadians and to those seeking to build a better life.”

Lewis also took to social media last week following an interview with the Toronto Sun to say she rejects criticism coming from Trudeau over her meeting with Anderson, pointing to how during the 2019 federal election he was discovered to have worn brown- and blackface several times before entering politics. After the news came out, Trudeau apologized on the campaign trail.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2023.

Adblock test (Why?)

Source link

Politics

RFK Jr. says Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water. ‘It’s possible,’ Trump says

Published

20 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.

Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”

The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, “He’s going to have a big role in the administration.”

Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about that. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy and has strong views.”

The sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.

In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.

Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.

In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.

In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.

Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.

What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.

But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.

“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump added.

Source link

Politics

Danielle Smith receives overwhelming support at United Conservative Party convention

Published

20 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Anne Joseph

Danielle Smith receives overwhelming support at United Conservative Party convention

Source link

Politics

America’s Election: What it Means to Canadians

Published

3 days ago

November 2, 2024

Steven Kaszab

Americans and Canadians are cousins that is true. Allies today but long ago people were at loggerheads mostly because of the British Empire and American ambitions.

Canadians appreciate our cousins down south enough to visit them many millions of times over the year. America is Canada’s largest and most important trading partner. As a manufacturer, I can attest to this personally. My American clients have allowed our firm to grow and prosper over the past few decades. There is a problem we have been seeing, a problem where nationalism, both political and economic has been creating a roadblock to our trade relationship.

Both Democrats and Republicans have shown a willingness to play the “buy only American Made product” card, a sounding board for all things isolationist, nationalistic and small-mindedness. We all live on this small planet, and purchase items made from all over the world. Preferences as to what to buy and where it is made are personal choices, never should they become a platform of national pride and thuggery. This has brought fear into the hearts of many Canadians who manufacture for and service the American Economy in some way. This fear will be apparent when the election is over next week.

Canadians are not enemies of America, but allies and friends with a long tradition of supporting our cousins back when bad sh*t happens. We have had enough of the American claim that they want free trade, only to realize that they do so long as it is to their benefit. Tariffs, and undue regulations applied to exporters into America are applied, yet American industry complains when other nations do the very same to them. Seriously! Democrats have said they would place a preference upon doing business with American firms before foreign ones, and Republicans wish to tariff many foreign nations into oblivion. Rhetoric perhaps, but we need to take these threats seriously. As to you the repercussions that will come should America close its doors to us.

Tit for tat neighbors. Tariff for tariff, true selfish competition with no fear of the American Giant. Do you want to build homes in America? Over 33% of all wood comes from Canada. Tit for tat. Canada’s mineral wealth can be sold to others and place preference upon the highest bidder always. You know who will win there don’t you America, the deep-pocketed Chinese.

Reshaping our alliances with others. If America responds as has been threatened, Canadians will find ways to entertain themselves elsewhere. Imagine no Canadian dollars flowing into the Northern States, Florida or California? The Big Apple without its friendly Maple Syrup dip. Canadians will realize just how significant their spending is to America and use it to our benefit, not theirs.

Clearly we will know if you prefer Canadian friendship to Donald Trumps Bravado.

China, Saudi Arabia & Russia are not your friends in America. Canada, Japan, Taiwan the EU and many other nations most definitely are. Stop playing politics, and carry out business in an unethical fashion. Treat allies as they should be treated.

Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca