Poilievre defends Truth and Reconciliation Day post, calls criticism 'appalling politicization'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is defending the caption on photos he posted to social media on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation after Liberal cabinet minister Marc Miller accused him of misidentifying Inuit people as Algonquin.
On Saturday, Poilievre posted two photos to X, formerly Twitter, of himself meeting with three Inuit people wearing traditional clothing, with the caption that he was “honoured to join the Algonquin Elders and leaders at the eternal flame to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.”
The photos were taken near the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hil.
Miller, former Crown-Indigenous relations minister and now federal immigration minister, was quick to point out the people in the photo were not Algonquin, but rather Inuit, “including Elder Manitok Thompson, who is very well known.”
- Capital Dispatch: Sign up for the latest in federal politics and why it matters
- Top headlines on Canadian politics, all in one place
“We are all learning some difficult truths, particularly today, and mistakes can happen,” Miller wrote.
The online exchange led to other MPs and politics watchers weighing in. The Canadian Press reported Saturday that Poilievre was facing online criticism for the post.
However, Poilievre says the caption was not an error, but rather misrepresented by Miller. He told reporters Tuesday he knew the people in the photo were Inuit, but the ceremony he attended was hosted by Algonquin leaders, who did not wish to be photographed.
“The reason we didn't put pictures of that ceremony (online), is because based on their traditional custom, photography is not allowed,” Poilievre said. “So out of respect for them, we did not photograph that ceremony.”
“Instead, we photographed other Inuit leaders, an Inuk knowledge keeper in particular, who was present and who also participated in the Algonquin ceremony,” he added.
Poilievre hit back at Miller for his “appalling politicization” of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. He also criticized the Canadian Press reporting from the weekend, accusing it of “regurgitating a false tweet from a Liberal minister.”
Hundreds of people marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Parliament Hill Saturday, including residential school survivors, various Indigenous leaders, current Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon.
Honoured to join the Algonquin Elders and leaders at the eternal flame to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) September 30, 2023
The path of truth and reconciliation is long but together we can begin to mend what has been broken and find true healing. pic.twitter.com/a4eJ3hMQn1
IN DEPTH
Billions for home building back-loaded, deficit projected at $40B in 2023-24: fall economic statement
The federal government's fiscal update presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday includes billions of dollars in new spending and targeted policy measures aimed at increasing Canada's housing supply in the years ahead.
Canada doubling carbon price rebate rural top-up, pausing charge on heating oil: Trudeau
The Canadian government is doubling the pollution price rebate rural top-up rate, and implementing a three-year pause to the federal carbon price on deliveries of heating oil in all jurisdictions where the federal fuel charge is in effect, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
As it happened: Zelenskyy visits Canada, addresses Parliament as PM pledges $650M in Ukraine aid
During his historic visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered repeated thanks to Canada for its continued support for his country as it continues to defend itself from Russia's invasion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada will be making a $650 million 'multi-year commitment' for further Ukraine aid. Recap CTVNews.ca's minute-by-minute updates.
ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS What do the policies Poilievre's party passed say about the Conservatives' future?
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spent the summer speaking about housing affordability, a core focus that attendees at the party's Quebec City convention were quick to praise him for. But by the end of the weekend, delegates opted to instead pass policies on contentious social issues. What does that say about the Conservatives' future?
Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau separating, after 18 years of marriage
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife are separating after 18 years of marriage, and while they plan to co-parent their children, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau will no longer be considered the prime minister's spouse in any official capacity.
Opinion
opinion
opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears
With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: For squandering their hard-earned income tax, we owe our kids an apology
'Its bi-annual work of fiscal fiction rolled out Tuesday as the fall update staged a desperate bid to reverse the Liberals' downward spiral in the polls while trying to soften its drunken-sailor-spending image.'
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: Life in Trudeau's brain defies imagination
Getting inside Justin Trudeau's head these days requires a vivid imagination. The prime minister's bizarre statement on the Middle East war this week reflects a distorted view that human-shielded resistance by Hamas terrorists can be overcome with "maximum restraint" by Israel's military.
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: As much as Poilievre wants it, he will not get his election wish for 2023
It’s been 100+ hours of brutal aftermath since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau turned carbon pricing from a national principle into regional graft by lifting the tax on home heating oil and using free heat pumps to buy back the Liberal loyalty of Atlantic Canada voters.
OPINION
OPINION Don Martin: It's flip-flop or die as Trudeau retreats on universal carbon pricing
With this week’s flip-flop lifting on carbon pricing for heating oil until 2027 (pushing increases beyond the next election) and a doubling of the rural tax rebate, the severely rattled Liberals are chipping away at the load-bearing wall beneath their environmental platform, Don Martin writes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW
NEW Health-care in Canada could be more like Norway's, with some improvements: study
Canada is trailing behind other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries when it comes to both the number of physicians relative to the population, and its spending on primary care, according to a new analysis published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Schools closed, more than 100,000 without electricity as snow falls in Quebec
More than 106,000 homes in Quebec are without electricity after Environment Canada reported nearly 25 cm of snow had fallen across the province.
Escaped kangaroo found safe after 3 days on the loose in Ontario
A kangaroo that escaped the Oshawa Zoo last week has been captured by police officers after more than three days on the loose.
Israel orders evacuations as it widens offensive but Palestinians are running out of places to go
The Israeli military on Monday renewed its calls for mass evacuations from the southern town of Khan Younis, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge in recent weeks, as it widened its ground offensive and bombarded targets across the Gaza Strip.
'Potent and impactful storm' on the way to B.C.'s South Coast, Vancouver Island
Heavy rainfall is in store for much of southern B.C. starting Monday, when a 'potent and impactful storm' is forecast to make landfall, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupts for the second day as 12 climbers remain missing
Indonesian authorities halted Monday the search for 12 climbers after Mount Marapi volcano erupted again, unleashing a new burst of hot ash as high as 800 meters (2,620 feet) into the air, officials said.
Serene Chinese boarding school named 'World Building of the Year'
A Chinese boarding school designed to let students unwind and “waste time mindfully” has been named 2023’s World Building of the Year.
Oxford University Press has named 'rizz' as its word of the year
Oxford University Press has named 'rizz' as its word of the year, highlighting the popularity of a term used by Generation Z to describe someone's ability to attract or seduce another person.
These are the 5 headlines you should read this morning
Global Affairs Canada confirms the death of an eighth Canadian amid the Israel-Hamas war, Venezuelans approve a referendum to claim sovereignty over much of Guyana, and international students are once again set to face working hour limits.
Canada
-
Escaped kangaroo found safe after 3 days on the loose in Ontario
A kangaroo that escaped the Oshawa Zoo last week has been captured by police officers after more than three days on the loose.
-
Schools closed, more than 100,000 without electricity as snow falls in Quebec
More than 106,000 homes in Quebec are without electricity after Environment Canada reported nearly 25 cm of snow had fallen across the province.
-
Backlash continues following Moncton's decision to not display the Menorah this year
Outrage seen from the community and across the country online after the news broke Friday that the City of Moncton would not display the Menorah this year.
-
'Potent and impactful storm' on the way to B.C.'s South Coast, Vancouver Island
Heavy rainfall is in store for much of southern B.C. starting Monday, when a 'potent and impactful storm' is forecast to make landfall, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
-
'That's the real thing': Edmonton man makes rare meteorite find
In October 2022, Doug Olsen was folding laundry in his southeast Edmonton home when he was startled by the loud bang of a meteorite landing on his roof.
-
From COVID-19 to alien contact, conspiracy theories are popular in Canada: survey
The Earth is flat. We have been secretly contacted by intelligent beings from other planets. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did not land on the moon in 1969. They may sound like bizarre statements, but a new poll suggests a sizable number of Canadians believe in these and other conspiracy theories.
World
-
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow jumps bail and moves to Canada
One of Hong Kong's best-known pro-democracy activists who moved to Canada to pursue her studies said she would not return to the city to meet her bail conditions, becoming the latest politician to flee Hong Kong under Beijing's crackdown on dissidents.
-
Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupts for the second day as 12 climbers remain missing
Indonesian authorities halted Monday the search for 12 climbers after Mount Marapi volcano erupted again, unleashing a new burst of hot ash as high as 800 meters (2,620 feet) into the air, officials said.
-
Kyiv investigates allegations Russian forces shot surrendering Ukrainian soldiers
Ukrainian officials on Sunday launched an investigation into allegations that Russian forces killed surrendering Ukrainian soldiers -- a war crime if confirmed -- after grainy footage on social media appeared to show two uniformed men being shot at close range after emerging from a dugout.
-
Divers have found wreckage, 5 remains from Osprey aircraft that crashed off Japan, U.S. Air Force says
U.S. and Japanese divers have discovered wreckage and remains of five crew members from a U.S. Air Force Osprey aircraft that crashed last week off southwestern Japan, the Air Force announced Monday.
-
Israel orders evacuations as it widens offensive but Palestinians are running out of places to go
The Israeli military on Monday renewed its calls for mass evacuations from the southern town of Khan Younis, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge in recent weeks, as it widened its ground offensive and bombarded targets across the Gaza Strip.
-
3 commercial ships hit by missiles in Houthi attack in Red Sea, U.S. warship downs 3 drones
Ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships Sunday in the Red Sea, while a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defence during the hourslong assault, the U.S. military said. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed two of the attacks.
Politics
-
'Meta took a bad decision': Canada's heritage minister says about Online News Act fallout
Canada's heritage minister insists the federal government is still working to get Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta back to the bargaining table to negotiate a deal to compensate Canadian news organizations as part of the regulatory process for the controversial Online News Act.
-
Liberals, NDP, Bloc accuse Conservatives of stalling Canada-Ukraine free trade deal
Conservatives faced a barrage of partisan fire Friday in the House of Commons as their political rivals accused the official Opposition of trying to stall measures aimed at helping Ukraine.
-
U.S. assassination attempt charges 'confirm' Trudeau's claims about India had 'real substance,' former national security advisers say
The indictment of an Indian national for the attempted assassination of a Sikh separatist and dual U.S.-Canadian national 'validates' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that the Indian government may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen as having 'real substance,' according to two of Canada's former national security advisers.
Health
-
NEW
NEW Health-care in Canada could be more like Norway's, with some improvements: study
Canada is trailing behind other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries when it comes to both the number of physicians relative to the population, and its spending on primary care, according to a new analysis published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
-
This Canadian couple used surrogacy to have a child. Here's what they want you to know
Families that need help conceiving a child are met with financial burdens that should be covered through government health care and insurance, advocates say.
-
Naloxone: What to know about the opioid overdose-reversing drug, free across Canada
Health Canada has called the opioid crisis one of the most serious public health threats in recent history, and an addictions specialist says everyone can play a part in helping reduce the death toll. All it takes is access to naloxone, a life-saving medication that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose.
Sci-Tech
-
'That's the real thing': Edmonton man makes rare meteorite find
In October 2022, Doug Olsen was folding laundry in his southeast Edmonton home when he was startled by the loud bang of a meteorite landing on his roof.
-
Not so dead as a dodo: 'De-extinction' plan to reintroduce bird to Mauritius
An audacious collaboration between geneticists and conservationists plans to bring back the extinct dodo and reintroduce it to its once-native habitat in Mauritius.
-
Montana's first-in-the-nation ban on TikTok blocked by judge who says it's unconstitutional
Montana's first-in-the-nation law banning the video-sharing app TikTok in the state was blocked Thursday, one month before it was set to take effect, by a federal judge who called the measure unconstitutional.
Entertainment
-
Spotify axes 17 per cent of workforce in third round of layoffs this year
Spotify says it's axing 17 per cent of its global workforce, the music streaming service's third round of layoffs this year as it moves to slash costs while focusing on becoming profitable.
-
Review: The long KISS goodbye ends at New York's Madison Square Garden, but avatars loom
It's the end of the road for KISS. But it's not the end of KISS. The hard-rocking quartet from New York City played final live concerts Friday and Saturday at Madison Square Garden, culminating a half century of rocking and rolling all night and partying every day.
-
Renowned Canadian musician and former April Wine singer Myles Goodwyn dead at 75
Myles Goodwyn, the award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter who shot to stardom as the former lead singer of April Wine, has died at age 75.
Business
-
Spotify axes 17 per cent of workforce in third round of layoffs this year
Spotify says it's axing 17 per cent of its global workforce, the music streaming service's third round of layoffs this year as it moves to slash costs while focusing on becoming profitable.
-
Lacking counsellors, U.S. schools turn to the booming business of online therapy
Children are receiving help through telehealth therapy, a service that schools around the country are offering in response to soaring mental health struggles among American youth.
-
Alaska Air to buy Hawaiian Airlines in a US$1.9 billion deal that may attract regulator scrutiny
Alaska Airlines said Sunday it agreed to buy Hawaiian Airlines in a US$1.9 billion deal, including debt, putting it on track for a potential clash with a Biden administration that has shown wariness about higher fares in the industry.
Lifestyle
-
Serene Chinese boarding school named 'World Building of the Year'
A Chinese boarding school designed to let students unwind and “waste time mindfully” has been named 2023’s World Building of the Year.
-
Oxford University Press has named 'rizz' as its word of the year
Oxford University Press has named 'rizz' as its word of the year, highlighting the popularity of a term used by Generation Z to describe someone's ability to attract or seduce another person.
-
Jewish Canadians to celebrate Hanukkah publicly, even as antisemitism rises
While many Jewish Canadians prepare to light menorahs in celebration of Hanukkah starting Thursday, some say the Israel-Hamas war coupled with a rise in antisemitism may dim the festival of lights.
Sports
-
Sinclair, Schmidt look to make the most of their final camp, game with Canada
Tuesday's friendly against Australia will mark the 331st international outing for Christine Sinclair, the 226th for Sophie Schmidt, and the last for both. Veteran goalkeeper Erin McLeod, who announced her international retirement in January, is also being honoured Tuesday but says she will watch from the sidelines.
-
Goalkeeper Erin McLeod in good company for B.C. Place Stadium farewell
Erin McLeod joins Christine Sinclair and Sophie Schmidt in the spotlight Tuesday at B.C. Place Stadium.
-
Canada's Alexandria Loutitt claims World Cup ski jumping silver
Canada's Alexandria Loutitt earned World Cup silver in women's ski jumping action on Sunday.
Autos
-
BMW recalls SUVs after Takata air bag inflator blows apart, hurling shrapnel and injuring driver
BMW is recalling a small number of SUVs in the U.S. because the driver's air bag inflators can blow apart in a crash, hurling metal shrapnel and possibly injuring or killing people in the vehicles.
-
New technology installed beneath Detroit street can charge electric vehicles as they drive
Crews have installed what's billed as the nation's first wireless-charging public roadway for electric vehicles beneath a street just west of downtown Detroit.
-
New U.S. rules, aimed at curbing China, could limit tax credits for electric vehicles
The Biden administration proposed new rules Friday that could make it harder for electric vehicles to qualify for a full US$7,500 federal tax credit, complicating efforts to meet President Joe Biden's goal that half of new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. run on electricity by 2030.
