Canada PoliticsNDP MP reacts to criticism about posting 9/11 Truther event on her website
NDP leader Thomas Mulcair is still widely mocked for his reaction to the death of 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden.
You'll recall that back in 2011, Mulcair told CBC News that he didn't believe the U.S. government's assertion that they had photographs of a cadaver and suggested that there may be more to the story than the U.S. government was letting on.
So I think it's fair to ask this question: What was NDP MP Megan Leslie thinking when she — or a staffer — posted a 9/11 Truther event on her website?
The ad, seen above, does come with a caption stating that "the topics of events listed do not necessarily reflect the views or position of the Member of Parliament or the New Democratic Party of Canada."
But come on — advertising a 'Truther' event on a website for a party that wants to be seen as the government in waiting?
The Conservatives, appropriately, called-out Leslie in the House of Commons, on Thursday.
"We all remember the NDP leader's suspicions when he doubted that the pictures proving Osama bin Laden's death existed. He was very clear on that. “I don't think from what I've heard, that these pictures exist”, he said during an appearance onPower & Politics. However, his party soldiers on with the NDP's legacy of adhering to conspiracy theories," Tory MP James Bezan said just prior to Question Period.
"The member for Halifax and deputy leader of the NDP is championing the truther cause on her website, promoting a 9/11 truth national tour, with Richard Gage. He is advertised as coming to Halifax to share his wealth of knowledge on what actually happened on September 11, 2001. What is that truth that the member for Halifax is advertising? Is it that the World Trade Center towers were brought down by internal demolition; in other words, it was an inside job by the U.S. government?
"This tour is shameful, and it is disrespectful to the victims of 9/11."
Leslie was also mocked on Twitter.
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Leslie isn't taking the post down — in fact she took to Facebook on Friday morning to defend herself.
"Yesterday I got attacked by a Conservative MP for my events calendar on my website. If you've seen it, you'll know that it is full of all kinds of events from the community. This MP raised the fact that there is a 9/11 Truther event on the site. Partisan trolls on Twitter got all excited, and all of a sudden, it was a story.
"I keep this aspect of my site as a service to the community. I'm proud of how many people use it, and the way it supports our community. I won't post anything that is illegal, and I won't post events about hate, but otherwise, I don't judge what goes up. If there were a climate denier rally or an anti-choice talk, I would post them. I have a process for dealing with complaints from the community. There is also a disclaimer on the site saying they events may not reflect my views or the views of the NDP."
What do you think?
Was posting the event appropriate? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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