Which Conservative MPs attended anti-vaccine presentation from convoy figures?
Four months after the last truck left downtown Ottawa, top Freedom Convoy figures returned to Parliament Hill and met with 20 per cent of the Conservative Party of Canada caucus, according to video reviewed by CTV News.
On Wednesday, 24 Conservative members attended meetings with convoy spokesperson Tom Marazzo, convoy director of security Daniel Bulford, advisor to former U.S. president Donald Trump Paul Alexander, and Canadian soldier James Topp, who is currently on a march across Canada protesting vaccine mandates.
The organizers held two presentations Wednesday afternoon in a building located in the parliamentary precinct. Alexander said in his presentation that Conservative MP Dean Allison helped the group gain access to the Valour Building. Groups planning to hold presentations on Parliament Hill require a parliamentarian to sponsor them in order to be given permission to access buildings on Parliament Hill and book a room.
Some MPs, like former leadership candidate Marilyn Gladu, only grabbed a quick selfie with Topp, but others, including current leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis, stayed for the duration of the presentation.
The presentations included extensive anti-vaccine and anti-mandate speeches from Alexander, as well as a discussion from Topp on a group he has founded called the Canadian Citizens Coalition. The stated mission of the coalition is to “return Canada to a free, fair and just society by restoring democratic, representative and responsible civic and corporate government.” The coalition is associated with various anti-vaccine and anti-mandates groups, including ones that Marazzo and Bulford are members of.
Once the presentations were completed, Ontario MP Cheryl Gallant and Saskatchewan MP Jeremy Patzer made statements to the room. Patzer said the group had “allies” in the Conservative party, adding “you have support, you’ve had support all along.”
Many Conservatives, including Ryan Williams and Arnold Viersen, posed for photos with Topp and Marazzo at the end of the first presentation. Marazzo said they are not aligned with any party federally, “but we are very aware of which members of which party attended today.”
Marazzo routinely was the public face of the convoy with the media, holding press conferences and posting videos relaying the messages from the convoy organizers. On Feb. 8, Marazzo spoke in a video alongside organizers, including Tamara Lich, proposing a meeting with the Governor General to enter into a coalition government with the Conservative Party, NDP and Bloc Quebecois, despite that proposal being widely viewed as a non-starter attempt to unseat the current Liberal government.
LIST OF CONSERVATIVE MPs WHO ATTENDED THE MEETING
- Marilyn Gladu
- Arnold Viersen
- Dean Allison
- James Bezan
- Melissa Lantsman
- Dan Muys
- Ted Falk
- Leslyn Lewis
- Alex Ruff
- Jeremy Patzer
- Jamie Schmale
- Martin Shields
- John Barlow
- Ryan Williams
- Warren Steinley
- Damien Kurek
- Gerald Soroka
- Scott Davidson
- Chris Warkentin
- Corey Tochor
- Tako van Popta
- Cheryl Gallant
- Kerry-Lynn Findlay
Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen’s office said they were aware of the event, but were not involved in organizing it.
Topp is scheduled to return to Ottawa on June 30, where he will complete his march by touching the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Topp’s return is expected to coincide with further protests against the government on Canada Day.
Correction
A previous version of this story stated Alex Ruff posed for photos with the speakers, which he did not.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The root cause': Canada outlines national action plan to fight auto theft
The federal government is launching what it calls its 'national action plan' to combat auto thefts, which will include stronger penalties for thieves, and increased information sharing between police agencies, government officials and border enforcement.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
Prosecution rests in Donald Trump’s hush money case. The defence now gets its turn to call witnesses
Michael Cohen testified Monday that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his ex-boss Donald Trump’s company, an admission defence lawyers hope to use to undermine Cohen’s credibility.
Red Lobster probes 'endless shrimp' losses after bankruptcy filing
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
'Next man up': Canucks coach, teammates bracing for Game 7 without Brock Boeser
Questions about how the team is going to handle the absence of star winger Brock Boeser from a do-or-die game seven dominated pre-game interviews with the Vancouver Canucks coach and players Monday morning.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Woman, 35, in critical condition after her truck collided with a Via Rail train near Montreal
A 35-year-old woman is in critical condition after the pick-up truck she was driving was struck by a Via Rail passenger train Monday morning in Quebec's Monteregie region.
Local Spotlight
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
7-year-old Pokémon prodigy heading to Hawaii for world championship tournament
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
From DVDs to rehearsals: Halifax theatre company transforms Video Difference building into arts hub
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
'Another pair of eyes watching over me:' How a B.C. woman's service dog saved her from drowning
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
Starbucks fan on decades-long journey to visit every store in the world
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
'Sacred work': Sask. First Nation learning how to conduct its own underground searches
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
'It could mean a cure': Cautious optimism for groundbreaking ALS research at Western
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
B.C. musician's song catches attention of Canucks
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
'We're on standby': Team ready to help entangled right whale in Gulf of St. Lawrence
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.