Several Canadian political leaders on Friday denounced the presence of a far-right European Parliament elected member who was touring across the country this week.
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Christine Anderson, MP for the Alternative for Germany party, ended her tour with a stop in Montreal after performing events in Calgary and twice in Toronto.
In particular, the presence of no fewer than three elected Conservatives raised eyebrows and prompted a reaction from party leader Pierre Poilièvre.
“The visions of Christine Anderson are hideous and have no place in ours [débats politiques]Mr Poilièvre said, according to a text from CTV News, after he pictured Tory MPs Colin Carrie, Dean Allison and former party leader-candidate Leslyn Lewis in a statement with Ms Anderson.
“MEPs were unaware of the political ideas of this MEP and regret meeting her.”
The three elected officials in question were in the same vein, also claiming that it is “not uncommon” for elected officials to meet foreign dignitaries.
They specifically added, also via press release, that they did not share Mrs. Anderson’s visions and that they condemned anything they considered “racist or hateful.”
The incident was first reported by the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations, which immediately condemned the incident.
“Coherent pattern” with Tory MPs, says Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke on the occasion. According to him, the Conservative Party must offer “the people honest explanations” for what it considers “a [motif] that we see regularly. [… Ils] Encourage people who use intolerant, vicious, hateful words and then say, “Ha! We didn’t know!’” He also added in English that Conservatives must stop treating Canadians “like idiots”.
A disgrace to global democracy
Christine Anderson was first elected to the European Parliament in 2019 and is a member of the Alternative for Germany party, a far-right party known for its opposition to the European Union and immigration to Germany. A year ago, she supported the notorious Canadian truck convoy, which she says is a symbol of freedom. She had declared in 2022 that Justin Trudeau was “a disgrace to any democracy”.
She also said of Pierre Poilièvre, with whom she was able to speak a few times, that he was like a “good, decent guy”.