EXCLUSIVE： Scheer's office directed MPs to cancel committee video broadcast
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Summary
In this episode, I discuss the decision by Conservative MP Andrew Scheer's office to block the use of online hate speech testimony by three pro-free speech witnesses, Mark Stein, Lindsey Shepard, and John Robson.
Transcript
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This week's meeting of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights was a profound display
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of government in action in action. What happened of course was the MPs from the Liberal, New
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Democrats and Conservatives all banded together to support an NDP motion to scrap a video stream
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of the committee meeting that was already in progress. This was the stream of testimony by
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Lindsey Shepard, Mark Stein and John Robson as part of the committee's deliberations and online hate.
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After information I was given directly by a senior and I will also say a reliable conservative source.
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I can confirm now that the votes by conservative members of Parliament on that committee in support
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of the NDP motion, the votes to scrap the video stream, were actually directed by the leader's
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office, by the office of the Leader of the Opposition Andrew Scheer. It was a directive
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that came from Andrew Scheer's team to support this motion so that there would be no videoing
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of the proceedings that happened. Now I've reached out to Andrew Scheer's office for comment and have
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been given no response whatsoever. I've had a number of communications in the past with this office,
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all positive, but when I asked very pointedly what was the rationale for this decision, I've received
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no response whatsoever. Not a denial, not a confirmation, and certainly not an explanation.
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Why this is relevant is because we're talking about the idea of free speech, a position that
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Andrew Scheer has on numerous occasions espoused support for, a position that I've talked to him
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about. I've interviewed Andrew Scheer about his position on free speech and trust that he cares a
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great deal about it. When the chips were on the table the Conservatives were in lockstep with the
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Liberals and New Democrats. And when you look at the other vote that took place in the committee
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meeting, the vote on a Liberal motion from Liberal MP Randy Boissoneau to purge the official record of
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comments made last week by Michael Cooper, the Conservatives didn't stand up for their colleague.
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They abstained. They abstained. They did not enter votes at all, even though one MP, John Broussard,
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said very accurately that this motion was a stunt. They still didn't vote against it.
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The problem here on the committee was that the Liberals and New Democrats wanted to effectively
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mitigate the platform that Mark Stein, Lindsey Shepard, and John Robson would have. Now for
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background, these were among the only people testifying before this committee in the last
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two months that actually took a pro-free speech stance. Their names were represented to the committee
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clerk by the Conservatives. The Conservatives were actually the responsible ones in getting these three
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invited. So obviously the Conservatives agreed they had something of value to say. But things changed a
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bit. I think last week's decision by Andrew Scheer to kick Michael Cooper off the committee, the decision
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that was no doubt not appealing to the people that were criticizing Cooper and the Conservatives in the
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first place, the decision that I criticized that resulted in much media attention, almost all negative
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towards the Conservatives. This was the new backdrop of the committee meeting this week. And I suspect
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the Conservatives were very afraid. The Conservatives were afraid that video of something controversial
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that Lindsey Shepard or Mark Stein or John Robson may have said would end up being something that they
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had to defend. But that misses the mark of what this whole free speech discussion in Canada needs to be
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about. Supporting one's right to speak does not mean you support the words that are uttered. It means you
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want a different perspective. When you look at what happened in that abomination of a committee meeting
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from NDP Member of Parliament Randall Garrison, he had six minutes to question the witnesses on
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absolutely anything. He could have held Mark Stein to account for a book he's written. He could have held
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Lindsey Shepard to account for a video she's done. He could have held John Robson to account for a column
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he's written. But instead what Garrison did was use his entire time to filibuster. He watched the clock
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making sure to not leave a second of air until his time was out. He deplatformed the committee witnesses
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because he as an NDP Member of Parliament fundamentally does not agree with the idea that they had a right
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to speak their mind and more importantly that there could be some value in the committee or Canadians
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hearing a different perspective. That's what we're up against and that's why it's so paramount that
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Canadians have an ally in politics who's going to take up this fight. This is the reason True North is
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taking up the fight. Free speech is an important battle in Canada. Not just free speech from government
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censorship but free from the forces in culture that want speech to be unfree. We're going to continue to
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fight for that but we need your help. If you can give us some support as an independent media operation,
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please do head on over to tnc.news and there's a link in the description box and join my heritage
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club for just $10 a month. For True North, I'm Andrew Lutton.