(Ottawa) Le chef conservateur Pierre Poilievre a été « irresponsable », et il a voulu effrayer la population en qualifiant l’incident qui s’est produit mercredi à la frontière canado-américaine d’acte terroriste, accusent les libéraux. Le chef bloquiste Yves-François Blanchet, pour sa part, y a vu une façon de marquer des points politiques.
« Ce n’est pas quelqu’un chose que devrait faire un leader. C’est extrêmement irresponsable, et c’est de jouer avec les émotions et la sécurité des Canadiens », s’est insurgée la leader du gouvernement à la Chambre des communes, Karina Gould, jeudi.
« Le leadership consiste à rassurer les Canadiens. Il s’agit d’apporter du calme. Il s’agit d’assurer la sécurité, de ne pas instiller la peur, de ne pas les agiter. Nous devons nous demander dans quel but il a sauté à cette conclusion », a-t-elle aussi lancé.
Au début de la période des questions en Chambre, mercredi, alors que les informations de l’explosion d’une voiture à la frontière entre le Canada et les États-Unis faisaient tout juste surface, Pierre Poilievre a évoqué un acte de terrorisme.
« Nous venons d’entendre des reportages des médias concernant une attaque terroriste perpétrée à la frontière, à Niagara […] Can the Prime Minister give us information regarding this terrorist attack? “, he asked.
PHOTO ADRIAN WYLD, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre
He was the only party leader to mention a terrorist act. And Thursday morning, Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet did not hold back from establishing a contrast between his reserve and the reaction, according to him partisan, of Pierre Poilievre.
“My immediate and cautious reaction yesterday following the event at the Ontario/USA border. Cautious because we didn’t know. This morning [jeudi], everything suggests that this is not an attack. Another leader talked about terrorism too soon to make political points,” he wrote on X.
Poilievre blames the media
Asked to return to his comments during a press conference in a Toronto synagogue, the Conservative leader argued that he was then relying on information relayed by the media – and this, by attacking the journalist who asked him for clarifications.
The video footage of the salvos launched by Pierre Poilievre was shared on social networks by his deputy leader, Melissa Lanstman, as well as by several right-wing organizations such as Rebel News, True North and Canada Proud.
“The level of trust in the media is low, and this is yet another example of why this is the case,” Ms.me Lantsman on the X network, framing the word question with quotation marks.
A reassessment of the terrorist risk requested
The leader of the official opposition was in Toronto to demand “common-sense Conservative measures” to protect Canadians. Among these is the request to look into the assessment of the threat in Canada.
“We want the government to review its terrorism risk assessment,” he said, recalling that the United Kingdom wrote in its travel advice for Canada that terrorists were “very likely to attempt to commit attacks.”
” The government [du Canada] says the risk is minimal. How can the risk be at a minimum when the government said there was a terrorist attack against synagogues and Jewish schools in Montreal? », questioned Pierre Poilievre.
The level of risk in Canada has been considered moderate since October 2014 – a month marked by two terrorist attacks in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Ottawa. This level – there are five in total, very low, low, moderate, high and critical – means “a violent terrorist attack could occur”.
Furthermore, in its travel advice for the United Kingdom, the Canadian government reciprocally recommends exercising “great caution […] due to the terrorist threat” that hangs over the country.