Liberal MP accused of derailing committee as witness demands apology

A witnesser who stormed retired of a parliamentary committee gathering successful tears Wednesday is demanding an apology from a Liberal MP who put a halt to a planned chat astir violence against women successful favour of a statement astir abortion rights.

Cait Alexander was connected Parliament Hill to supply grounds astatine a uncommon summertime proceeding of nan House of Commons position of women committee erstwhile she says Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld re-victimized her arsenic a subsister of home violence.

“I americium wholly flabbergasted,” Alexander said successful an question and reply aft nan gathering Wednesday.

“This is precisely what it felt for illustration these past fewer years, wherever I’m virtually showing my bludgeoned, bleeding, bruised assemblage and nan group who person authority and powerfulness successful this state are saying, ‘Well, we attraction astir you.’ But past they soundlessness you.”

Vandenbeld, who serves arsenic parliamentary caput to nan Minister of International Development, did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Alexander was 1 of 2 witnesses who stormed retired of nan gathering organized truthful MPs could perceive from advocates for home unit victims and a lawman main of nan Peel Regional Police.

The gathering was scheduled aft nan sidesplitting of Breanna Broadfoot, 17, successful London, Ont., who constabulary opportunity was a unfortunate of friendly partner violence.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said past week that nan fishy had antecedently been arrested but was released earlier nan fatal attack, and criticized nan Liberal government’s bail policies.

Though witnesses astatine nan committee group retired to likewise reason that nan existent justness and bail strategy is failing victims, nan convention quickly derailed into a messiness of governmental bickering.

During her opening statement, Alexander, who heads up nan defense group End Violence Everywhere, shared her individual communicative arsenic her family watched from nan nationalist benches down her.

“I’m expected to beryllium dead,” she told nan committee, showing MPs schematic photos of nan maltreatment she suffered astatine nan hands of her ex-boyfriend 3 years ago.

“If you haven’t met a subsister and a victim’s family, well, now you have.”

Before long, Alexander’s family members we berating MPs for a partisan show that descended into procedural chaos. Her mother told Vandenbeld that she was “disappointed,” and nan full point amounted to further maltreatment of her daughter.

It began erstwhile Vandenbeld was fixed nan level to inquire questions of nan witnesses.

She gave a short connection astir really overmuch she cared astir survivors’ stories, and outlined immoderate of nan actions nan national authorities has taken to reside unit against women. Then she chided Conservatives for politicizing nan rumor by calling nan gathering during nan summertime pinch small notice, which near different parties incapable to hole aliases urge different witnesses.

“We do not usage victims and survivors of trauma to effort and people governmental points successful this committee,” she pronounced.

“I deliberation it’s sadistic to person group relive nan trauma that they’ve endured conscionable to beryllium capable to person a gathering that, if it’s not agreed to, past there’s each kinds of societal media that Liberals aliases others don’t attraction astir this issue, which, arsenic we each know, we do very deeply.”

Instead of pivoting backmost to nan taxable astatine hand, Vandenbeld went connected to telephone for a statement connected a mobility related to abortion authorities — an rumor Liberals person tried to pin nan Conservatives down connected for months.

“This is nan problem. Did she perceive to thing that was said this morning?” said different witness, Megan Walker, who lives successful London and advocates to extremity antheral unit against women.

After that, nan gathering dissolved into a lengthy back-and-forth betwixt MPs, arsenic aggregate points of bid were brought to nan chair.

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NDP MP Leah Gazan confronted nan Conservative chair of nan committee for not allowing her to propose witnesses for nan meeting.

“I’m disgusted,” she said. “I’m representing Ground Zero for murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.”

Not agelong aft that, Alexander stormed retired of nan room successful tears. Walker turned her backmost connected nan committee and followed.

Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri lambasted Vandenbeld for derailing nan meeting, and said nan victims came to attest successful bid to bring astir “legitimate change.”

She apologized to Alexander’s mother, who stood down nan witnesser table.

“‘Sorry’ isn’t bully capable — we’ve heard ‘sorry,'” Alexander’s mother told nan committee.

The gathering adjourned soon thereafter.

Alexander said afterward nan full ordeal was retraumatizing and that nan committee’s actions are “exactly nan type of behaviour that has allowed my abuser to spell free.”

Alexander flew to Ottawa from Los Angeles to testify, and stressed she didn’t make nan travel for partisan reasons. She saw it arsenic an opportunity to item her communicative and those of countless different women who person had akin experiences, she said.

While abortion is simply a “serious issue” deserving of attention, she described nan antics of nan committee, and Vandenbeld, arsenic “abusive,” and accused nan Liberal of trying to usage her trauma for governmental gain.

“It’s truthful utterly disrespectful, inhumane and honestly conscionable unkind to not let america to proceed a patient speech connected what was expected to beryllium discussed, and nan audacity to do thing for illustration that,” she said.

Ferreri said successful a connection nan Liberals efficaciously silenced nan victims.

“It is disgusting that this alleged feminist Liberal authorities coming wholly unopen down a committee study into unit against women,” Ferreri said.

“The Liberals pulled this heartless stunt to screen for nan premier curate whose reckless policies person unleashed a crime activity crossed Canada that disproportionately affects women and susceptible groups.”

Walker said she hasn’t had an acquisition for illustration nan 1 she endured connected Parliament Hill Wednesday successful 25 years of advocacy.

“While they silenced america successful that meeting, they will not soundlessness america from moving guardant successful our valuable activity to extremity antheral unit against women.”