Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Hastings Lennox and Addington MP Derek Sloan’s campaign slogan of offering no apologies stood up to a challenge this evening when he issued a statement noticeably absent from the word ‘apology’.
Whether or not his refusal to do so will cost him his place in the Conservative Party remains to be seen.
Earlier today it was reported by several news agencies the Conservative Party’s Ontario caucus held a teleconference, demanding Sloan apologize for last week’s comments when he questioned if Dr. Theresa Tam worked for China or Canada. It was also reported MPs were prepared to take steps to remove him from the party if he didn’t issue an apology by 6 p.m. tonight.
It was around that time a message set on official Sloan campaign letterhead appeared on Sloan’s official Twitter account. In it he states that he wasn’t questioning Tam’s loyalty to the county. He goes on to say “However she is responsible for relying on the flawed data of both the WHO (World Health Organization) and the PRC for her decision making. This has literally cost Canadian lives.”
He goes on to say he questions Tam’s, and by extension Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s, “competency, to do their jobs, not their motives.”
He again called for Tam to step down from her role as chief public health officer of Canada.
No where in his statement does he offer an apology for last week’s comments.
There’s no word yet on if his statement will satisfy his fellow Conservative MPs. They have the power to remove him if they choose by triggering The Reform Act, which requires 20 per cent of caucus members to call for it. At that point Sloan’s future with the party would be put up to a vote.
He remains one of four candidates in the race to replace Andrew Scheer as leader of the party.
Sloan’s full statement can be seen below:
