(Ottawa) A Liberal federal MP from the Vancouver region apologized Tuesday on social networks for suggesting a possible link between comments by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and the deadly shooting that occurred this weekend at the Manitoba.
In a written post Monday, MP Ken Hardie, who represents the federal riding of Fleetwood–Port Kells, noted that the shooting that left four people dead in Winnipeg on Sunday morning was “beyond disturbing.”
He also wondered if this event could be linked to the “burn everything down” attitude that is prevalent in the United States.
On the X network, Mr. Hardie then referred to the progression of this way of thinking in Canada, linking it directly to the Conservative leader.
During an exchange Tuesday morning with The Canadian Press, the MP reiterated that he did not regret what he wrote and assured that he had no intention of apologizing, but he recognized that He could have used another example to make the same point.
However, a few hours later, his speech changed after a meeting he had with the government leader in the House of Commons, Karina Gould.
After this conversation, Mr. Hardie admitted that his message was inappropriate, clarifying that there was no connection between Mr. Poilievre and the murders in Winnipeg.
“There is no connection. None at all. And so, in that regard, publishing it that way was completely inappropriate on my part,” he admitted in another exchange with The Canadian Press.
“I didn’t know my message would be understood this way. But you know, these are things that happen with some people. So yes, I apologize for that. »
Although he apologized Tuesday afternoon, the MP did not delete the initial post.
“It is absolutely inappropriate and it is not something that anyone should suggest, regardless of which party,” Ms.me Gould during a press scrum Tuesday morning, before his meeting with his Liberal colleague.
Comments criticized
The police investigation into the shooting that happened early Sunday morning in downtown Winnipeg is still in its early stages. So far, no arrests have been made and law enforcement is still searching for suspects.
Police do not yet know the motive for these crimes, she said.
With his publication, Mr. Hardie mainly wanted to denounce the attitude of the Conservative Party, which, according to him, creates an environment in which people feel hopeless, he argued.
Mr. Poilievre’s spokesperson, Sebastian Skamski, responded in a written statement that Liberal MPs are desperate to make “disgusting and outlandish claims” to distract from the government’s “disastrous record.”
He called the Liberal approach “gutter politics,” saying “deranged comments like these are not exceptions, but rather the entire game plan of the [premier ministre] Justin Trudeau.”
This is the second time in two months that Mr Hardie has apologized for his comments on social media.
Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman called Mr. Hardie “unbalanced” in her own social media post on Monday, recalling another post last month by the Liberal MP in which he claimed that Nazi propagandist Josef Goebbels would be proud of the conservative MPs.
Mr Hardie deleted the post and apologized in the House of Commons.