OTTAWA — An advocate for ending violence against women is calling on a Liberal MP to apologize after shutting down her testimony during a parliamentary committee Wednesday by turning the committee’s discussion into a partisan debate over abortion.
Instead of having the chance to share her story and the experiences other survivors who say the Canadian justice system has failed them, Cait Alexander says she left feeling disrespected and “abused.”
She and another witness walked out of the parliamentary committee visibly shaken Wednesday and MPs said they were “disgusted” by the behaviour that drove the witnesses to tears.
At one point, the women even shouted at Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld for overriding their testimony.
Members of the status of women committee had been called back to Ottawa for an emergency meeting by Conservative MPs, who said it was necessary during the summer break due to recent reporting by Statistics Canada showing an uptick in crimes such as sexual assault.
Alexander was among several witnesses invited. The others included the deputy police chief of the Peel Regional Police and Megan Walker, a longtime advocate for stopping violence against women in London, Ont.
“I’m supposed to be dead,” Alexander said in her opening remarks, as she proceeded to hold up photos taken of her abused and bruised body, while her parents sat in the audience.
“I can’t live in Canada anymore because it’s not safe for me,” said Alexander, who had travelled to Ottawa from California.
Not long after Conservatives on the committee began questioning the witnesses, Vandenbeld, the Liberal MP for Ottawa West—Nepean, interjected to raise concerns, complaining that not only was the meeting called hastily, but that Liberals were not provided the opportunity to gives the names of witnesses they would like to call, unlike the Tory committee members.
Vandenbeld, who defended the government’s criminal justice record, accused the Conservatives of trying to use “victims’ and survivors’ trauma to try to score political points,” saying it was “cruel.”
She then moved a motion to have the committee instead discuss another topic — abortion — even as the witnesses in the room yelled objections over her attempt to change the subject. Liberal and NDP members, who together hold a majority at committee, voted to pass the motion.
Watching the display, Alexander says Vandenbeld spoke out of her turn by suggesting Alexander had been brought in to bolster the Conservatives’ message. Alexander said she is non-political and has worked with the Ontario NDP to advance reforms and supports the Bloc Québécois in its efforts to not allow judges to toss out violent criminal cases because of delays.
“It was triggering,” she said in an interview. “I demand a public apology,” adding she believes Vandenbeld “utilized her trauma” for the MP’s own political gain, and “hijacked” survivors’ testimony.
“I was repulsed.”
Neither Vandenbeld nor her office respond to a request for comment late Wednesday.
The Liberals frequently use the abortion issue to try and drive a political wedge against the Tories, some of whom oppose unregulated abortion, although Poilievre has vowed not to reopen the issue should Conservatives form the next government.
“We have refrained from putting motions like this (forward) because of collegiality but at this moment we’re not,” Vandenbeld said.
Liberal and NDP MPs have for months been lamenting the loss of Karen Vecchio — the past Conservative chair of the committee who built a reputation for being able to work across party lines — who was removed from the role back in April and replaced with Ontario MP Shelby Kramp-Neuman.
At the time, a spokesman for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said changing committee assignments was not uncommon. Vecchio, who was first elected back in 2015, confirmed to a local radio station on Tuesday she would not be seeking re-election. She was one of the few caucus members to back former Quebec premier Jean Charest in the party’s 2022 leadership contest.
As the exchanges grew more heated, Walker and Alexander turned their backs to the MPs, who grew increasingly emotional over the next 20 minutes.
Conservative MP Anna Roberts apologized to the pair, saying she was “disgusted” by the Liberal and NDP voting to switch topics, particularly given how the witnesses needed to travel to attend the meeting, including from California.
At one point, NDP Winnipeg MP Leah Gazan said she was struggling to hold back tears because she was not provided a chance to call forward any Indigenous witnesses, such as the families of those murdered by serial killer Jeremy Skibicki in 2022.
“I’m disgusted … when I’m representing ground zero of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls,” she said, adding that no one was called to speak from the LGBTQ community.
Shortly after, Alexander, who at one point held up the photos of her injuries, left the room and did Walker. Before she did, she stood and shouted at the committee how as an advocate for women she had never seen such behaviour.
“They acted like children,” said Alexander.
Kramp-Neuman then announced to the MPs who were appearing virtually that the witnesses had left.
She asked the clerk beside her if she could adjourn the meeting, letting out an audible sigh.
In a statement afterwards, Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri said the Liberals pulled “a heartless stunt” to shut down discussion of the government’s justice policies and also refused to agree to expanding the study which would have allowed for more witnesses to be called.
Near the end of Wednesday’s meeting, Bloc Quebecois MP Andreanne Larouche blamed the Conservatives and Liberals for politicizing the issue of violence against women, saying she had hoped better for the committee in a minority Parliament that has taken on increasingly partisan tone.
“Witnesses left the room crying,” she said in French. “I’ve been here since I was elected in 2019 and I have never seen anything like this.”
“Nobody wins after a meeting like this one.”
National Post
With files from The Canadian Press
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