German politician Christine Anderson, second from right, poses with Conservative MPs, from left Colin Carrie, Leslyn Lewis and Dean Allison.Handout
Three Conservative MPs are playing down their photo with a member of a far-right German party that has espoused anti-immigrant rhetoric, saying they did not know about her politics when they met her during her visit to Canada this week.
Jewish groups criticized the meeting, as photos of the encounter, shared on social media, showed the MPs smiling as they stood alongside Christine Anderson, who represents the Alternative for Germany – also known as the AfD – party in the European Parliament. The photo shows the MPs in a restaurant setting.
Posing from the federal Conservative caucus were Haldimand-Norfolk MP Leslyn Lewis, a two-time contender for the leadership of the Tories, Colin Carrie, who represents Oshawa, and Niagara West MP Dean Allison.
“As we have stressed in response to previous incidents of this nature, it is imperative that members of Parliament do their due diligence when agreeing to formal meetings,” Nicole Amiel of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said in a statement issued on Friday.
The previous night, the centre said in a tweet that it was “deeply concerned” about the meeting with Ms. Anderson, whom they described as a member of a party “known for Islamophobic and anti-immigrant views.”
But the Conservatives said they did not know the party’s stands.
“We were not aware of the views and associations of her and her political party,” said a statement issued by Sebastian Skamski, the director of media relations for the Official Opposition Leader’s office, on behalf of all the MPs, on Thursday night.
“We do not share or endorse her views, and strongly condemn any views that are racist or hateful.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized the Conservative Party Friday for its response to the MPs’ meeting, and said it continues a pattern of the party feigning ignorance when called out for its actions. He referenced two past incidents, including when official YouTube videos of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre were found to include a hidden misogynistic tag.
“Their answer is all the same: ‘Oh, we didn’t know,’ ” the Prime Minister said, speaking at a news conference in Toronto. “Canadians need to stop being treated like fools.”
Mr. Trudeau said Conservatives should either truly dissociate themselves from “hateful, vile, intolerant rhetoric” or, he added, they must explain that they indeed have room for intolerance within their party.
On Friday, Mr. Poilievre said he knew about Ms. Anderson’s views, describing them in a statement released by Mr. Skamski as “vile,” with no place in Canadian politics.
“Frankly, it would be better if Anderson never visited Canada in the first place. She and her racist, hateful views are not welcome here.”
Ms. Lewis, who has previously worked as a lawyer, said in a statement that she has been a staunch defender of human rights. “I am proud to have defended the rights of immigrants, including refugees from LGBTQ+ community, who faced significant persecution and have fled to Canada from all over the world,” she said.
As an MP, she said she is required to meet foreign officials frequently and often does not share the views of those officials or their parties.
Mr. Carrie, in a tweet posted late Friday afternoon, said he profoundly regretted attending the meeting without input from his staff or vetting the people he was meeting, “which is my usual practice.” He wrote that he alone owned the mistake. “I will do better.”
The AfD was founded in 2013, and has since gained traction in German politics with a message that has, at times, trivialized the Nazi dictatorship and the Holocaust, espoused anti-immigrant rhetoric denouncing former chancellor Angela Merkel for welcoming more than a million refugees, mostly from Syria, and supported Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Last March, a German court dismissed a legal challenge by the party that had paused a move by Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, to launch a surveillance effort of the party.
And in January, Jorg Meuthen, the co-leader of the party, quit and left the organization, saying it had become too extreme “and the heart of the party beats very far to the right.” AfD is the fifth-largest party in the federal parliament of Germany.
Ms. Anderson has, falsely, claimed COVID-19 vaccines are “experimental,” and, as of March, 2022, refused to be tested for COVID-19.
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to the European Parliament in Brussels last March, Ms. Anderson described him as a “disgrace for any democracy,” and accused him of civil-rights violations in the context of the convoy protests.
Dan Panneton, the director of allyship and community engagement, for the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, said Friday Ms. Anderson is a member of a “radical right-wing party with xenophobic, Islamophobic and extremely nationalistic positions.”
In a statement, he said it was “incomprehensible” that the MPs were not aware of her or her party’s views, given these views have been widely documented online.
“Our political leaders need to be held to a higher standard, and if these MPs were not initially aware of the AfD’s hateful stance, they should have been made aware through proper vetting.”
NDP House Leader Peter Julian said it was “completely unacceptable” that the meeting happened. ”It gives a voice and approval to those who would spread anti-Semitism and Islamophobia,” he said in a statement in Friday.
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.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
