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OTTAWA – Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett has admitted to sending Independent MP and former Liberal Justice Minister Jody Wilson Raybould a text message Wilson-Raybould called racist and misogynistic.
Wilson-Raybould said that while she was overwhelmed by the message, to her it was indicative of a pattern of behavior she says she experienced in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office. And, for her, it’s emblematic of the struggle of Liberal governments to do the right thing by Indigenous peoples.
The incident stems from a troubled interpersonal relationship between the two federal politicians, according to Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller.
On Thursday morning, Wilson-Raybould tweeted a screenshot of a text message Bennett sent him, in which Bennett asked: Pension?
The comment seemed to suggest that Wilson-Raybould calling on Trudeau to stop fighting for an election was driven by his own desire to maintain his MP pension, and not because the nation continues to mourn the growing number of anonymous graves unearthed in the city. old boarding school. sites.
MPs are entitled to pensions after serving for six years, a milestone already taken by Bennett, having been first elected in 1997.
Responding in her own tweet, Bennett admitted she sent the message and said she apologized directly to her former cabinet colleague.
Earlier, I apologized directly to the member for Vancouver-Granville. I let the interpersonal dynamic get the better of me and sent a callous and inappropriate comment, which I deeply regret and shouldn’t have done, Bennett said.
In an interview with CTV News Channels Power Play, Wilson-Raybould said she cried when she woke up to that message from Bennett on Thursday morning, claiming that the last time they exchanged texts it was was in 2018.
I was surprised and shocked, to say the least, at this horrible news, to receive a message of racism and misogyny from the minister, and not from any minister, the minister responsible for Crown-Indigenous relations in this regard. country, I was stunned, she said.
Wilson-Raybould said she hoped Bennett’s apology text message saying sorry was genuine and that she was reflecting on his ridiculous innuendo that she was working for money.
Wilson-Raybould and many other MPs first elected in 2015 will be eligible for pensions next October once they reach six years of service, and some have speculated that this could be a factor in the timing. the next election, which has been widely speculated could happen this summer or fall.
Words matter, and the initial reaction, or his first reaction to sending me this message, says something, Wilson-Raybould said.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not comment on Thursday, referring to Bennetts’ tweet.
Bennett and Wilson-Raybould worked side-by-side in the federal cabinet between 2015 and 2019. Wilson-Raybould, who was Canada’s first Indigenous justice minister, resigned from the cabinet in February 2019 and then in April from the that same year, Trudeau removed her from the Liberal Party. caucus on the SNC-Lavalin scandal.
In an interview with CTV News Channels Power Play, Miller said Bennett absolutely never should have said what she did. He said he had immense respect for the two women, but he knows the two have had a troubled interpersonal relationship.
I have known Minister Bennett’s dedication to reconciliation for decades. I know she is mortified for texting this to Jody Wilson-Raybould, and bitterly regrets it, Miller said, declining to respond if she thinks it hurts the Liberals’ credibility on reconciliation and of ability to work with communities given that one of the two prime ministers on the roster spoke this way.
In response to the exchange, NDP MP Charlie Angus said it was time for Bennett to be fired. British Columbia MP and Tory Mark Strahl said Bennett’s comment was intended to disparage Wilson-Raybould, who he believes has more integrity and is more respected than Justin Trudeau and his entire cabinet. reunited.
Earlier, I apologized directly to the member for Vancouver-Granville. I let the interpersonal dynamic get the better of me and sent a callous and inappropriate comment, which I deeply regret and shouldn’t have done.
Carolyn Bennett (@Carolyn_Bennett) June 24, 2021
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