Aitchison condemns Lewis' Nuremberg email as 'dog whistle' to COVID vaccine critics
Conservative party leadership candidate Scott Aitchison is condemning Leslyn Lewis' message to members last week about the Nuremberg Code and medical experimentation as nothing but a "dog whistle" to COVID-19 vaccine critics.
Aitchison made the comments in a missive sent to party members Thursday, with less than two weeks before they must return their ballots for a new leader by the Sept. 6 deadline.
Aitchison, an MP first elected for the party in 2019 and again last year, entered the leadership race as a largely unknown figure.
Throughout the race, the rural Ontario representative has campaigned on a message of restoring decency in politics at a time when leaders of different stripes have been accused of stoking division.
He referred to those values in Thursday's message, saying he has heard from Canadians who were confused and "appalled" at the comparison Lewis drew between contemporary issues and the Holocaust.
In her message, Lewis provided a timeline of moments in history when humans have been subjected to experimentation, including some Indigenous children in residential schools who were malnourished.
She wrote that, "even in modern times the tenets of informed consent and voluntary participation in scientific experiments can be easily undermined by even our modern governments."
Although Lewis didn't mention COVID-19 in last week's note about the Nuremberg Code -- a set of research guidelines established after the Second World War, when Nazi doctors carried out inhumane experiments on prisoners -- Aitchison says some opposed to COVID-19 immunizations have compared vaccine mandates to the horrors of Nazi Germany.
"Leslyn's email was a dog whistle to these people so loud that it sounds more like a freight train's horn," Aitchison said.
"Let me be clear -- being offered a vaccine that prevents serious illness and our governments' responses to this pandemic are not the same as being tortured in a Nazi concentration camp."
Lewis responded to Aitchison's condemnation in a statement pointing out how her initial message never mentioned COVID-19. She went on to accuse her colleague of attacking her publicly, saying "he diminished my existence as a Black woman who has endured racism, and rose above it all."
"I understand that some people were shocked by the fact that I was willing to point out how governments throughout history have broken the Nuremberg Code, including right here in Canada," Lewis said.
"I had a few caucus colleagues who had questions about my letter. They contacted me directly, and we discussed it," she said, adding that "we came away with a greater understanding of the other's thoughts."
Aitchison, in his message to members, also touched on a recent decision by the Liberal government to back away from a group hired to do anti-racism work after The Canadian Press reported one of its consultants had sent tweets about "Jewish white supremacists."
Many Conservative MPs have roundly criticized the government, questioning what kind of vetting occurred.
"If we want to actually deliver on the promise of better government, we as a party must do better as well," Aitchison said.
Lewis entered the contest to become party leader as a sitting MP who placed third in the 2020 leadership race.
Like in the first race, she once again enjoys the backing of the social conservative wing of the party, a segment of the base that is highly motivated to purchase memberships and elect a leader who opposes abortion -- which Lewis does.
This time around, however, Lewis has also championed opposition to COVID-19 health measures as well as global entities like the World Economic Forum, the United Nations and the World Health Organization
Lewis has been criticized for playing into conspiracy theories -- which some in the party worry have been spreading -- to make political gain. For her part, Lewis has defended raising such issues by saying it's what she hears when she talks to Canadians, whose views should not be dismissed.
In May, Aitchison raised concerns about the prevalence of conspiracy theories in the party during a debate in Ottawa, hosted by the Canada Strong and Free Network, an organization that advocates for the conservative movement.
"Every time I hear a Conservative talking about some conspiracy theory, I realize that there's another group of swing voters in the (Greater Toronto Area) that just are not going to come our way," he told the audience at the time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2022.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
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.
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鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 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鈥檛 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
Canada will cut its permanent immigration levels by at least 20 per cent
Canada will lower the number of permanent immigrants it allows into the country by at least 20 per cent from its previous target of 500,000, 愛污传媒 confirmed Wednesday.
The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.
A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.
Trudeau says Liberals 'strong and united' despite caucus dissent
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Liberal party is 'strong and united,' despite efforts from within his caucus to oust him as leader.
'Canadians can breathe a sigh of relief': Bank of Canada governor on interest rate cut
The Bank of Canada made a sizable cut to its key lending rate Wednesday from 4.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent as the global economy continues to expand. The half percentage point cut is the fourth rate cut in a row by the central bank as inflation dropped from 2.7 per cent in June to 1.6 per cent in September.
A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.
A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.
Local Spotlight
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.