Liberal MLA Cathy Rogers took to Facebook to call New Brunswick Minister of Education Dominic Cardy “Hitler-ish” over Cardy’s support for mandatory student vaccinations.
Rogers made the disparaging remarks about the Education Minister on Monday. The post which was originally posted in September 2019 has since been deleted.
“Sounds a bit Hitler-ish to me. Kill everyone around me. I’m the only right person. Ugggg,” Rogers wrote.
The New Brunswick Progressive Conservative government will be making vaccinations mandatory in schools starting in 2021. The move was put forward by Cardy during a measles outbreak in the province earlier this year.
In screenshots shared on Facebook, Cardy told Rogers that her comment was completely inappropriate.
Cardy, who was born in England, also says the traumatic experiences his family faced during the Second World War made the comparison even more insulting.
Minutes later Rogers, who was formerly New Brunswick’s Finance Minister, apologized for comparing Cardy to Hitler but continued to berate the Minister.
”You are a bully Mr. Cardy. I’m not at all supportive of anyone autocratic or dictatorial. You cross the line regularly in my opinion.”
While large anti-vaccination activists have sprung up in New Brunswick to oppose mandatory vaccination legislation, the move is supported by the province’s chief medical officials.
Rogers says she believes vaccines work, but that the research is “inconclusive” as to whether vaccines can be harmful.
“There is some science on both sides,” she said in August.
“Science is always evolving and we learn to be informed by science, by ongoing data, and lived experience does [become part of] scientific data.”
On Wednesday, Rogers gave a public apology for her remarks in the legislature.
“In my comment I crossed the line,” Rogers said.
“I do deeply regret having made the comment.”
True North reached out to Rogers but did not receive a response in time for publication of this article.
