(Ottawa) Liberal and New Democrat MPs deplore the departure of the Conservative chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.
Government members say they are disappointed to learn this week that Karen Vecchio, Conservative MP, would no longer be at the head of the committee, after having chaired it for several years.
The House of Commons website shows that the role of Mme Vecchio as committee chair ended Wednesday, and conservatives on the committee voted Thursday to replace her with another conservative lawmaker, Shelby Kramp-Neuman.
Liberal MPs abstained from the vote, but Liberal Rep. Pam Damoff said she was surprised by Ms.me Vecchio, calling her a “strong, competent and intelligent progressive conservative woman” who poured her heart into building relationships with women’s groups.
Mme Vecchio has not publicly addressed the end of his presidency. Mme Damoff and other Liberals are demanding explanations from Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.
Conservative spokesperson Sebastian Skamski said the changes to committee assignments are not irregular and that Mme Kramp-Neuman is a “proud, common-sense conservative woman” who will champion the issues facing Canadian women.
Leah Gazan, NDP MP on the committee, applauded Ms.me Vecchio as president. She says she is “deeply concerned” about what the change could mean.
Karen Vecchio was first elected chair in 2017 against her wishes, after Liberal MPs on the committee voted out Alberta MP Rachael Thomas over her anti-abortion views. She was chosen by Andrew Scheer, who was leader of the Conservative Party at the time.