If the Liberals are enjoying watching the problems engulfing the Conservatives over a donation from Fromm, isn’t giving tons of taxpayer money to his groups even worse?
Many within the Trudeau Liberals are certainly taking pleasure in the divisions within the Conservative Party being opened up as Erin O’Toole attempts to remove Derek Sloan on the obviously flimsy pretext of a donation by Paul Fromm.
After all, every political party likes to watch their opponents struggle.
Yet, it’s interesting to note how few Liberal MPs have been willing to acknowledge the problem their own government has in this regard.
As reported in late December of 2020, “Anti-hate groups are urging the federal government to reconsider which employers can apply for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) after self-described white nationalist Paul Fromm received COVID-19 relief funds for two of his groups.”
In response to this news, a Liberal government spokesperson had this to say:
“Katherine Cuplinskas, press secretary for the office of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland said the government “categorically condemns white supremacy, far-right extremism, and racism in all its forms.”
“Wage subsidy funds can only be used for employee remuneration. Should these funds have been abused, the penalties can include repayment of the wage subsidy, an additional 25 per cent penalty, and potentially imprisonment in cases of fraud,” Cuplinskas wrote in an email.”
Strangely, despite the outrage of hateful organizations getting taxpayer funds, the Liberals did not make a clear pledge to fix the system:
“Cuplinskas wouldn’t say whether the government plans to investigate the issue further.”
The thing here is that as soon as Sloan realized Fromm had donated, he denounced it, just as the Liberals did when they found out the federal government gave money to Fromm.
Yet Sloan is being demonized (particularly by his own party leader), while Liberal MPs seem uninterested in what their own government did.
If we are to truly improve politics in Canada, those in power need to show a little humility and grace towards both their own colleagues and people in other parties, rather than trying to destroy people for short-term gain.
Spencer Fernando
