Liberal MP accused of derailing committee as witness demands apology – National
A witness who left a parliamentary committee meeting in tears Wednesday is demanding an apology from a Liberal MP who shut down a scheduled discussion on violence against women in favor of a debate on abortion rights.
Cait Alexander was on Parliament Hill to testify at a rare summer hearing of the House of Commons Status of Women Committee when she said Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld revictimized her as a survivor of domestic violence.
“I’m completely stunned,” Alexander said in an interview after Wednesday’s meeting.
“That’s exactly how I’ve felt over the last few years, when I literally show my bludgeoned, bloodied, bruised body and the people who hold authority and power in this country say, ‘Well, we care about you.’ But then they silence you.”
Vandenbeld, who is parliamentary secretary to the minister of international development, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alexander was one of two witnesses who stormed out of a meeting set up so MPs could hear from advocates for victims of domestic violence and a deputy chief of Peel Regional Police.
The meeting was planned after the murder of 17-year-old Breanna Broadfoot in London, Ont., who police said was a victim of domestic violence.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said last week that the suspect had already been arrested but was released before the fatal attack, and criticized the Liberal government’s bail policy.
Although witnesses before the committee tried to argue in a similar way that the current justice and bail systems fail to meet the needs of victims, the session quickly derailed and devolved into a mess of political wrangling.
During her opening remarks, Alexander, who leads the advocacy group End Violence Everywhere, shared her personal story as her family looked on from park benches behind her.
The email you need for the day
The top news from Canada and around the world.
Receive daily national news
Get the day’s top political, business and current affairs news delivered to your inbox once a day.
“I’m supposed to be dead,” she told the committee, showing MPs graphic photos of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend three years ago.
“If you haven’t met a survivor and victim’s family yet, well, now you have.”
It didn’t take long for Alexander’s family members to criticize the MPs for their partisan attitude that degenerated into procedural chaos. Her mother told Vandenbeld she was “disappointed” and that the whole thing amounted to further abuse of her daughter.
It all started when Vandenbeld was given the floor to ask questions of the witnesses.
She briefly explained how much she cared about the survivors’ testimony and outlined some of the steps the federal government has taken to address violence against women. She then criticized the Conservatives for politicizing the issue by calling the meeting in the summer with little notice, preventing other parties from preparing or recommending additional witnesses.
“We are not using victims and survivors of trauma to try to score political points on this committee,” she said.
“I think it’s cruel to make people relive the trauma that they’ve been through just to have a meeting and if it’s not accepted, there’s all sorts of social media saying that liberals or others don’t care about this issue, when as we all know, we care deeply about it.”
Instead of getting back to the topic at hand, Vandenbeld then called for a debate on a motion on abortion rights – an issue the Liberals have been trying to corner the Conservatives on for months.
“That’s the problem. Did she listen to what was said this morning?” asked another witness, Megan Walker, who lives in London and campaigns to end male violence against women.
After that, the meeting turned into a long exchange of views between the deputies, with several points of order being raised before the president.
NDP MP Leah Gazan confronted the Conservative chair of the committee for not allowing her to suggest witnesses for the meeting.
“I am disgusted,” she said. “I am ground zero for murdered and missing indigenous women and girls.”
Shortly after, Alexander left the room in tears. Walker turned his back on the committee and followed him.
Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri lambasted Vandenbeld for derailing the meeting and said the victims had come forward to testify in order to bring about “legitimate change.”
She apologized to Alexander’s mother, who was standing behind the witness table.
“‘Sorry’ is not enough – we heard ‘sorry,’” Alexander’s mother told the committee.
The meeting was adjourned shortly afterwards.
Alexander later said the whole ordeal had been re-traumatic and that the committee’s actions were “exactly the type of behaviour that allowed my attacker to get away with it”.
Alexander travelled to Ottawa from Los Angeles to testify and stressed that she did not make the trip for partisan reasons. She saw it as an opportunity to shine a light on her story and those of countless other women who have had similar experiences, she said.
While abortion is a “serious issue” that deserves attention, she called the actions of the committee and Vandenbeld “abusive” and accused the Liberal of trying to use her trauma for political gain.
“It’s so disrespectful, inhumane and honestly mean to not allow us to have a healthy conversation about what was supposed to be discussed, and to have the audacity to do something like this,” she said.
Ferreri said in a statement that the Liberals had effectively silenced the victims.
“It is disgusting that this so-called feminist Liberal government today completely shut down a committee study on violence against women,” Ferreri said.
“The Liberals used this cruel ploy to cover up for the Prime Minister whose irresponsible policies have unleashed a crime wave across Canada that disproportionately affects women and vulnerable groups.”
Walker said she hasn’t had an experience like the one she endured on Parliament Hill Wednesday in 25 years of advocacy.
“Although they silenced us at this meeting, they will not stop us from moving forward in our valuable work to end male violence against women.”
