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.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
