Mother blasts MPs on House committee for ‘disgusting’ treatment of her daughter

OTTAWA — The mother of a witness who stormed out of a House of Commons committee in tears berated Liberal, NDP and Conservative members for a “disgusting” partisan display in a letter Friday that she plans to share with MPs.

“I taught six- to eight-year-olds for 31 years and I have never seen such self-serving, abusive, poorly behaved people in my life,” Carolyn Alexander said in the letter.

“You are not children. You are the voted-in leaders that can effect positive change on the lives of all Canadians. Do that!”

Alexander’s daughter Cait, a survivor of domestic violence, gave harrowing testimony at an emergency meeting that was called to discuss violence against women Wednesday in light of several high-profile cases this summer.

The meeting quickly derailed after Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld took issue with the hastily organized summer meeting and moved a motion to debate abortion rights. That led the meeting to dissolve into a fracas of procedural chaos and political bickering that had little to do with violence against women.

Alexander accused Vandenbeld of purposely destroying the meeting and silencing victims.

“Why? Because you weren’t given enough time to have your own victims testify?” she wrote.

“You used Cait as a victim to score points for your political gain, to make it look like the Conservatives were using Cait.”

Alexander’s daughter demanded an apology from Vandenbeld, but the MP fell short of that late Wednesday, and instead said she deeply regrets the “distress that this meeting caused the witnesses.”

In her letter, Alexander also chided the Conservatives, and asked if the purpose of the meeting was a political ploy at the expense of her daughter to show how the Liberals and NDP would react.

She also questioned why her daughter’s information was provided to other parties just hours before the meeting, and why they didn’t allow more time for planning — something the Liberal and NDP members of the committee took great issue with.

The Conservative members of the committee, including Michelle Ferreri and Anna Roberts, have posted dozens of times about the hearing on social media, lambasting the Liberals and NDP members and demanding apologies.

Party spokesman Sebastian Skamski said Conservative MPs proposed and conducted the meeting in good faith, as did the witnesses.

“It’s unfortunate that the Liberal-NDP coalition members worked to derail the meeting rather than defend the disastrous criminal justice policies they support,” Skamski said in a statement.

“Conservatives will continue efforts to hold more committee meetings in line with an expanded motion we proposed that will allow for further study and witness testimony on this critical matter, and hope that Liberal-NDP members will treat this issue with the seriousness it warrants.”

Alexander also directed her ire at NDP MP Leah Gazan, accusing her of scheming with the Liberals to “sabotage” the meeting.

Gazan had said Wednesday she was not able to put forward witnesses of her own at the meeting, despite living in “ground zero” for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and chastised the politicization of a committee that has historically worked together toward meaningful change.

“Did you even recognize that you silenced our daughter who was sharing her own and 25 other stories of survivors of (intimate partner violence) and (sexual assault) that were not properly dealt with by the police, judicial system and the government?” Alexander said in a passage addressed to Gazan.

“You silenced our daughter’s voice.”

Alexander said she is “astounded” by the strength of her daughter, but also by the partisanship and lack of caring and understanding the government has shown in tackling the issue of violence against women.

Alexander ended the letter by saying her family and friends fully support her daughter for using her voice to support survivors of intimate partner violence, adding that her daughter and others like her want to see positive change around the issue.

“Sadly, after the events last Wednesday in the House of Commons, I can’t see that happening,” she said.

“Shame on us all.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2024.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press