Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld has penned a lengthy screed blaming the rise of the “far-right” and claiming she doesn’t feel safe after two survivors of abuse stormed out of a committee meeting in tears when the Liberals derailed their testimonies.
Vandenbeld is one of eleven MPs on the House of Commons status of women committee which met for a summer session last week that descended into chaos.
In an over 2,500-word op-ed published to the news aggregator National Newswatch, Vandenbeld claimed she was the one targeted with abuse as a result of the incident and went on to blame the far-right and populism.
“The traps that are being set by the far-right, their willingness to use anyone’s pain to achieve political ends, and a capitulation by the media to click-bait have made it impossible to protect and defend parliamentary processes or basic fairness,” wrote Vandenbeld.
Vandenbeld also went on to accuse the Conservatives of adopting “Trump’s playbook” in reference to former president Donald Trump.
“Following Trump’s playbook, since becoming Conservative Party Leader, Pierre Poilievre has put out a narrative that Parliament is broken, and the institutions are rigged.”
True North reached out to Vandenbeld’s office to ask whether she thinks extreme rhetoric against conservative politicians can have a similar effect but did not receive a reply. Last month, Trump survived an assassination attempt on his life during a political rally.
As reported by True North, the meeting in question saw witnesses Cait Alexander from End Violence Everywhere and Megan Walker abruptly leave the room.
Things became heated when Vandenbeld shifted the discussion to abortion rights, prompting Alexander and Walker to leave in frustration. Alexander’s mother later accused Liberal MPs of revictimizing the victims and using their testimonies to score political points.
Despite the witnesses’ efforts to keep the focus on their testimonies, the discussion veered off track. Vandenbeld moved to resume a different discussion about abortion rights, leading to heckling from the witnesses. Alexander, in a final attempt to make her point, displayed graphic photos of her wounds, while Walker, visibly upset, questioned if Vandenbeld had listened to any of the testimonies that morning.
“This is the problem. Did she listen to anything that was said this morning?” Walker said during the committee meeting.
Now, Vandenbeld claims that she’s been the victim of online abuse and threats to her safety since the controversy erupted.
“But this week, I closed my constituency office because I fear for my safety and that of my staff,” said Vandenbeld.
The Liberal MP also decried “headlines in mainstream media” reporting on the incident.
“It is not even the only Parliament where this is happening. It is also not accidental. This is part of a much larger global rise in authoritarian, anti-democratic, misogynist movements that are undermining democracies everywhere,” wrote Vandenbeld.
In her op-ed Vandenbeld wrote that she “deeply regretted” the fact that the victims suffered as a result of the committee proceedings.
“It was a trap, and as I said in the media, I deeply regret that it was the witnesses who suffered for it. It broke my heart to see what was once a safe and victim-centric committee cause such distress to the witnesses and their families,” she wrote.
