Conservative MP apologizes for comments on COVID-19 vaccines, virus risk

Ottawa -

Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu is apologizing for comments she made about COVID-19 vaccination and the risk associated with the virus.

Gladu said the remarks she made on CTV’s Question Period on Sunday, opposing vaccination status disclosure and calling into question the severity of the virus, were “inappropriate.”

“Upon reflection, I recognize how dangerous it is to share misinformation about the severity of COVID-19 and the safety and efficacy of vaccines. I retract these comments in full,” a statement reads.

“I apologize unreservedly to Canadians. I also apologize to my caucus colleagues and leader for the distraction my comments have created.”

Gladu has been the face of the new “civil liberties caucus” to defend the rights of those unvaccinated.

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During the interview, she compared COVID-19 to the polio disease that spread in the first half of the 20th century, but said the novel coronavirus doesn’t pose the same “frequency of risk.”

“In terms of the risk, people that got polio, many of them died and many of them were crippled, and that is not the same frequency of risk that we see with COVID-19…I’m just receiving the information from medical experts that talk about the relative risk. I'm not a doctor myself.”

At the peak of the polio epidemic in Canada, in 1953, there were nearly 9,000 cases and 500 deaths from coast to coast. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic there have been 1.74 million cases and 29,192 deaths in Canada.

She also took issue with vaccine mandates and vaccination disclosure.

“People are being forced to disclose this. And that is another issue that we need to talk about because what's next? What next, will you be forced to disclose about your medical history?” she told Question Period.

In response to a question about vaccine mandates, and various medical organizations being in support of this kind of public health directive, Gladu said the new intra-party caucus will look at various sources of information.

“Well, I think there's multiple sources of data out there and that's part of the work of this caucus is to take a look at all of the different data, sift through it, and come to what the reasonable solutions are to ensure that everyone is safe and everyone's freedoms are protected,” she said.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said on Monday that Gladu’s comments were “inappropriate” and not helpful at a time when politicians should be creating a sense of certainty, not causing more confusion.

“There’s a big difference between advocating for your constituents who may need reasonable accommodation and creating confusion about public health measures. It’s a great example of why members of Parliament of all stripes should let the professionals, let the public health officials, let the physicians answer questions about the efficacy of vaccines,” he said.

Gladu echoed this sentiment in her statement on Tuesday.

“Vaccines are a safe and effective way to limit the spread of COVID-19 and prevent serious illness. I encourage every Canadian, who is able, to get vaccinated. When it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines, it should be physicians and public health experts who advise Canadians, not politicians,” she said.

Fellow Conservative MPs Leslyn Lewis and Dean Allison have also made comments questioning the efficacy of vaccinating children and criticizing vaccine passports.

Asked whether it’s time O’Toole bring the Conservative caucus in line on this issue, the leader said his team will be addressing instances where MPs don’t talk about vaccines responsibly.

“We have a leadership role as elected representatives in our community,” he said Monday.