, 02.24.2023 09:29 AM

My latest: Conservative MPs should be condemned for meeting with extremist

Governments defeat themselves.

But opposition parties can defeat themselves too. And, this past week, the Conservative Party of Canada was busily doing just that.

Three well-known Conservative MPs — one of them a two-time leadership contender — met with Christine Anderson, a member of the European Parliament from the Alternative for Germany party (AfD). The three Ontario Conservative MPs, Leslyn Lewis, Dean Allison and Colin Carrie, are seen smiling as they stand alongside Anderson, who is on a cross-Canada tour.

Big deal, some might say, and have. But Anderson — and the AfD — are extremists, and the meeting led to a condemnation by Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).

Wrote CIJA: “We’re deeply concerned by CPC MPs Leslyn Lewis, Dean Allison [and] Colin Carrie meeting with Anderson – a member of the far-right German AfD party known for Islamophobic and anti-immigrant views. We raised this directly with [the Conservative Party].”

Lewis, Allison and Carrie can be (and have frequently been) dismissed as fringe kooks within their own party. Last year, when leadership contender Lewis likened vaccination to — as another Conservative leadership contestant put it, “being tortured in a Nazi concentration camp” — she was condemned widely. The Jewish Independent, among others, called her words “irresponsible and base.”

Colin Carrie, for his part, last achieved fame when he told the Commons the “subversive” World Economic Forum (WEF) organization had “infiltrated” the Liberal government — adding that the WEF had “penetrated more than half of Canada’s cabinet.” Which earned Carrie condemnations by other opposition MPs.

Allison, meanwhile, has promoted his links to anti-vaccination types — among them Paul Alexander, a Canadian who worked for the Donald Trump administration in the U.S., and who famously called for American health officials who advocated for vaccines and public health measures to be imprisoned.

So, a trio of Canadian kooks met with a European kook. Does it matter? When one examines the words and deeds of Anderson and her AfD it does.

A summary:

— Anderson has attacked Muslims on social media, calling Muslim immigration “billions in costs for the welfare state.” She supports Russia over Ukraine. She’s participated in street marches organized by PEGIDA, a group whose acronym stands for “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident.” PEGIDA has been described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a “far-right, anti-immigrant street movement.”

— Her AfD is anti-immigrant, anti-Islam and — often — anti-Semitic. Formed in 2013, the AfD has already established itself as a force in Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, and the European Parliament.

— Two years ago, the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution called the AfD “a right-wing extremist endeavour against the free democratic basic order” and as “not compatible with the Basic Law,” and actually placed it under intelligence surveillance for being an extremist group.

— Evidence of the AfD’s extremism isn’t difficult to locate. The Anti-Defamation League has described it as “proudly extremist, anti-immigrant, and anti-minority [and] its leaders have made anti-Semitic statements and played down the evil of the Nazi regime.”

— Its party leaders have called Holocaust memorials “shameful.” They have dismissed the horrors perpetrated by the Nazi regime as “bird shit.” They have defended former Canadian Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel, and promoted the notion that “not a single Jew” died in the Nazi gas chambers. They have referred to Jews as “Satanic elements in the financial oligopoly” who have “political control over Germany.” They have said of Auschwitz and refugees: “Both are wrong.” And so on.

There is much, much more about Anderson and her AfD online. Lewis, Carrie and Allison could have found it in a simple Google search, as this writer did. There, too, they would have found Israel’s ambassador to Germany adamantly refusing to meet with Anderson’s party because they are “highly insulting for Jews, for Israel and for the entire issue of the Holocaust.”

So why did Leslyn Lewis, Colin Carrie and Dean Allison meet with the AfD’s Christine Anderson?

After the Toronto Sun brought the issue to his attention, Pierre Poilievre strongly condemned Anderson and the AfD. The three MPs then rushed out a tweet, claiming they didn’t know about the extremism views of Anderson or her party.

But few will believe that claim.

Do governments defeat themselves? They do, they do.

And, this week, the opposition Conservatives were defeating themselves, too.

— Warren Kinsella is the author of the national bestseller Web of Hate.

51 Comments

  1. Warren,

    This utter disgrace is an absolute gift for the leader if he handles it right. If not, slander against our party will get the upper hand with Canadians and then down we go as a credible alternative to Trudeau’s Liberals.

    • Curious V says:

      I went to the hospital recently for a minor procedure. Siting next to me in the waiting room is a nice man, a retired farmer. Being from a farming family we had something in common, but then came his views. A conservative, no big deal in these parts, but as we continued our conversation his views surfaced about the war in Ukraine, with him declaring Putin a wizard, and then his pandemic views; it’s just a conspiracy to sell vaccines concocted by the Jews. One guy, and aside from his views he was personable, but this is common. I hear it all the time, and that’s what PP caters to when he attends convoy rallies. They’re rife with anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, and anti-muslimism conspiracy theory all mixed in with Covid conspiracy theories – this is a real concern when the leader of the opposition bends over backwards to pander to them.

      • Curious V,

        If people are willing to take off their blinders and respective political biases, they will see that there are several demon seeds in control in at least a handful of countries. Their continual behaviour is a perfect reflection of their demonic status. They start wars, kill their own internally with glee and basically put zero value on human life or the suffering of people. Once all of the above is acknowledged, how can anyone in their right mind not be supportive of Ukraine and its efforts? Ukraine needs absolute victory followed by political reforms. After that, they can enthusiastically join the commonwealth of free and democratic nations.

  2. Curious V says:

    And therein lies my point about radical elements of the Conservative party, joining with radicals from Europe.

  3. Curious V says:

    They know too well about the extremism in the AFD because it exists in their party too. That’s where this element of Canadian society finds a home – It’s a problem that’s global in scope, and infecting conservative movements across Canada, just like in Europe, the United States and Great Britain – siding with Russia, spewing Russian propaganda and views that don’t mesh with free and democratic countries.

    • Curious V,

      There can be no doubt that the rabid extreme right is the greatest threat to constitutional order and representative democracy on the planet. Peri0d. And as you say, it knows no borders. The CPC MUST recognize that and fights all those who would attempt to infiltrate the party with such views. And IF people already within our ranks espouse those views, they need to be sidelined, marginalized and eventually excluded as their views threaten the very nature of our parliamentary democracy. The convoy types were the tip of that iceberg. Government needs to remain vigilant so must all of our political parties. In a democracy, change in government comes through the ballot box and nothing else. Anyone who can’t accept that de facto becomes a threat to our national security, period.

  4. Warren,

    Pierre has clearly publicly denounced the 3 MPs. Off to a good start. IMHO.

    • So…the three stooges regret meeting her. No kidding. And they were unaware of her views. You don’t say. Let me clue you in a little, you happen to be elected public servants who work at our pleasure. You know, we’re the people who can turn each of you out on your stupid ass. Anyone with a brain who happens to also be an MP should screen who they meet with if that person is a perfect stranger, especially someone who’s in a political capacity.

      I agree with what Pierre said. But my job as a strategist is to make this go away, sooner rather than later. So here’s a pro tip: without serious disciplinary measures, this thing will have at least an extended if not long life in our media. Might as well bite the bullet now and discipline the shit out of each of them. Otherwise, this thing gets new oxygen and is bound to do plenty of damage if not adequately dealt with by the leader. Glossing over their collective stupidity by the OLO is not an option that leads to political success. Quite the reverse. It could quite literally cost us our shot at government if these bozos are not seriously disciplined.

      • Vernon Raaflaub says:

        The issue is WHY they met with her; I am willing to meet with anyone, to find out where they stand and discuss why. I see it as a Christian obligation for me.
        (I have Jewish friends).

  5. Sean says:

    PP up by 8 points….and….then…this. Sigh… will they ever learn?

    • Sean,

      The jury is out. Will PP break the AS and EO’T political cycles? Yep, I think he’s smart enough to finally get it. If he does, he likely becomes PM. If he embraces the traditional bromides and reactive thinking, then the polls will dump in short order. It’s solely up to him if he becomes PM. Like Harper before him, he controls his destiny. Harper was Harper in 2004 and the results were predictable. But then the light went on in his head and the 2006 version of Harper won the country.

  6. Douglas W says:

    “Conservatives were defeating themselves” … Double P’s response team moved ultra fast to nip this one in the bud.
    It’s Saturday afternoon, and there’s virtually no oxygen left to this story.
    If Scheer or EOT was in charge, this story would be lingering for another week.

  7. Robert White says:

    Poilievre is surrounded by entrenched systemic racism run amok in his own party. Like flies on excrement the
    unsavory racist characters seem to flock to his party seeking validation by proxy with the leadership.

    Poilievre invites this type of behaviour via his Pitbull attack dog behaviour on social media. The posture seems to be backfooted and off kilter socially.

    I recently signed up to the National Citizens’ Inquiry led by Preston Manning, but the Alberta Government switched from Preston Manning leading the debate to Canadian Journalist Trish Wood who is an avowed ‘Libertarian’ rabid dog with rabies.

    The ‘Libertarian’ movement is extremely disturbing to me via the discourse they espouse. I signed up to Trish Wood’s blog on Substack and immediately unsubscribed due to the extreme rhetoric espoused.

    Libertarianism is a National Security Threat IMHO.

    I enjoyed the article you wrote. If Poilievre can’t read this blog he will fail miserably just on mainstream criticisms.

    RW

    • Robert,

      I often hit libertarians hard and they don’t like it. I’m all for being a libertarian as long as an individual’s actions do not negatively impact society at large or members of same. If they are hell-bent on having possible NEGATIVE impacts or outcomes on others, that’s when I go to war with them. Not acceptable, ever.

    • Robert,

      Unfortunately, entrenched systemic racism is in good health in all countries, surprisingly enough in the western democracies but it’s there for all to see. No party has a monopoly on that. I’ve seen it in our three main parties. The question is, who and when are party leaders prepared to root it out, as they must?

      • Robert White says:

        Read Trish Wood’s blog on Substack, Ronald. This is the kind of leader the Alberta Government appointed to replace Manning. She’s whack extreme IMHO. Alberta
        has gone nuts.

        RW

        • Robert,

          Danielle Smith is God’s gift to Notley and the NDP. No surprise there that Smith did not block this appointment. The UCP are about to get what they so richly deserve. Totally agree with Warren. They will once again make Notley premier.

          • Robert White says:

            I really don’t get the Alberta politics or the people. I’ve never been to any other province and that’s likely why I don’t really grasp Canadian politics at the federal level.

            I think I understand Ontario’s politics and that of Ottawa, but the rest of the country is another matter entirely.

            I really do need to understand the nuanced differences between provinces given that Alberta seems to be that much different from that of Ontario. And I’m not the only Canadian that doesn’t get the Alberta ethos vis-a-vis their ‘Libertarians’.

            I even understand Quebec politics compared to Alberta.

            RW

          • Robert,

            What I positively can’t stand is collective groupthink without questioning one’s own assumptions and pre-determined conclusions. More Canadians than not fall into that category, including in my home province. They simply refuse to think for themselves. Oh my God, I’ve GOT to be a Conservative, or a Liberal or a Bloc supporter. Kind of pathetic.

  8. Robert White says:

    Edit: Change ‘blog’ to website.

    🙂

    RW

  9. Warren,

    I want that smug little bastard out of power. And if I have to take on all of the leaders of my own party in order to accomplish that goal, then so be it. The CPC should be smart enough to win government on our own. I will push as much as is required to make damned sure that we move forward in the right direction in order to win that election. Right now, there is plenty of room for improvement, strategically speaking. Our main strategists clearly are not in my league. That’s why my party needs help, and I won’t fail them in their hour of need.

    • westcoastjim says:

      Ronald since your leader has openly supported white supremacists perhaps your party has left you behind. If you want to support a party that does not promote racism, small-mindedness and hatred then you are going to have to leave Pierre’s CPC.

      • WCJ,

        Nice try. Who exactly has PP supported who’s an avowed white supremacist? I eagerly await your response. Of course, your response, if inaccurate as I strongly suspect it will be, may ultimately get tested in court. So, I urge you not to throw caution to the wind.

        • Steve T says:

          Don’t bother, Ronald. This is the sort of throwaway language that the Liberals use to bait folks into even considering the allegations are true.
          As you mention, there hasn’t been any such support, but it’s the “when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” approach the Libs have made famous for decades. If anyone questions any of their random virtue-signalling policies, the person doing the questioning is a racist. Rinse and repeat. Yawn…

          • Steve,

            I doubt they will get far with this approach heading into the next election. It’s my sense that Trudeau’s time is already up, vis-à-vis the voters. Of course, time will tell. They are way beyond desperate already. Just wait until we get closer to the actual election date…

          • Two minorities in a row sent a rather resounding and telling message, n’est-ce pas? I don’t see that changing next time: it’s more than likely out, rather than returning with a third minority.

          • westcoastjim says:

            Rinse and repeat indeed. This is exactly the Conservative response to anyone who points out their bad behaviour.

            First deny the objectively true statement about the bad behaviour and make baseless suggestions of possible legal action is the objectively true statements continue to be made. Then the statement is shown to be objectively true. And then the response in the face of the objective proof is “Don’t bother”. Conservative supporters go from outrage and threatened legal action to feigned indifference time and time again. It is tragic that there is not even a little bit of introspection.

          • Martin Dixon says:

            “First deny the objectively true statement about the bad behaviour and make baseless suggestions of possible legal action is the objectively true statements continue to be made. Then the statement is shown to be objectively true. And then the response in the face of the objective proof is “Don’t bother”. Conservative supporters go from outrage and threatened legal action to feigned indifference time and time again. It is tragic that there is not even a little bit of introspection.”

            Actually that is a pretty good summary of how the Liberals and their allies in the media behave and circle the wagons time and time and time again when JT has done something outrageous yet again. Shall I list them?

          • WCS,

            Obviously you’re not a lawyer so I understand why you misunderstood my comment: I asked for a very specific instance where it was absolutely demonstrated that my leader was willing to specifically support a white supremacist. And with that I warned the other commentor to be exceedingly careful before specifically posting. You know, when you get exceedingly specific in your allegation, if said allegation is proven to baseless, well, that’s when a lawsuit tends to commence. My comment was in no way meant as a threat. In short, put up yes but you better be accurate on the facts otherwise you become like Fox, the objects of affection from Dominion.

  10. westcoastjim says:

    Warren what do you expect from a party who’s leader openly supports white supremicists and domestic terrorists?

    • WSJ,

      In this instance, I surmise you mean the convoy types. I agree with you on the latter description of same for those in the streets but not on the former. By and large, they’re not white supremacists. They’re kooks more than anything else. I had one of them in my own office and she definitely wasn’t a WS, nor was she prepared to personally have a hand in overthrowing the government. But yes, she didn’t like Trudeau. She has a lot of company across Canada.

  11. Steve T says:

    This is what happens when you deliberately live in an echo chamber and get frothed-up by those who most fervently support you. It’s no great surprise that these are the 3 Conservative MPs who got caught for this.

    For example, Lewis (who, I must confess was one of my top choices when she ran against EOT) has moved more to the fringes and seems would be better suited for Bernier’s Peoples Party than the CPC. But I know some PP/CPC supporters (they fluctuate back and forth) who really liked Lewis during the most-recent leadership race precisely because of her more extreme views. Mostly the anti-abortion stuff, but also the anti-lockdown and anti-vaxx stuff.

    When you get frothing at the mouth about any given topic, you will seek out people who are similarly frothy. And sometimes that leads you to ignore other very unpalatable views they may hold.

    • Steve,

      I put her second behind MacKay the first time she ran. I will put her last, or better yet, cross her name out, in any future leadership race. I used to partially disagree with Warren when he would call her an extremist, based on her first leadership run. Definitely not anymore. The shoe really fits now.

  12. Phil Brunet says:

    I’m a supporter of Naziism. I’m at pbrun468556@guerillamail.com and 185.93.229.34.

  13. Wes W says:

    What a waste of time. You should be hammering down on the prime minister camapining for a ccp asset instead of this woke horseshit. Your losing relevance.

  14. western view says:

    Mr. Kinsella asks readers:
    “So, a trio of Canadian kooks met with a European kook. Does it matter?”

    I have no idea why the CPC MPs were motivated to meet with Christine Anderson and as a concerned Canadian desperate to see the end of this Liberal Government it is a discouraging situation. It’s bad enough to see the own goal fascination Tories have to pile rain on their path to victory, but it is really frustrating the way this shit diverts attention from things that REALLY matter.

    It is reported that Christine Anderson has some pretty nasty views about a lot of things and is looking for electoral success to put her views into action. Canadians can decide for themselves whether MPs should flirt with a person like that. But in real time, we are getting a drip drip drip of leaks alleging some very shady activity in our election process that is tainting candidates, sitting MPs and is producing allegations that lead to the PMO.
    Why should this matter? Because the dirty tricks are allegedly being masterminded by a foreign government that not only has despicable views about human rights but is DOING. On a level playing field, if we want to kick around three stupid CPC MPs for associating themselves with a kook with dangerous views, let’s do better than using the situation as a channel changer to the same story but different players. I find it outrageous that Liberals can wag their fingers at Conservatives for ethical breaches when they have some soul searching of their own to get on with.

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