OTTAWA, Ontario — A backbench lawmaker from Justin Trudeau’s own caucus is accusing the prime minister of dividing and stigmatizing Canadians by politicizing vaccine mandates and Covid-19 restrictions.
Joël Lightbound delivered the stunning, scathing assessment Tuesday in Ottawa with the big rigs of the so-called Freedom Convoy just outside the door. The convoy protests against Covid measures have grabbed global attention and paralyzed the Canada’s capital city for more than a week.
“Both the tone and the policies of my government changed drastically on the eve and during the last election campaign,” said Lightbound, who convened a press conference to deliver his message. “A decision was made to wedge, to divide and to stigmatize. I fear that this politicization of the pandemic risks undermining the public’s trust in our public health institutions.”
Publicly breaking ranks with one’s own party on such a major issue is a rarity in Canadian politics, especially when the party is in power.
Lightbound insisted he is not the only member of Trudeau’s team who feels, to varying degrees, as he does.
He said he raised his concerns “extremely clearly” with fellow Liberals MPs and with Trudeau. Lightbound added he’s hopeful there’s room in the party for “dissent,” so he can push for change from within caucus.
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