Deputy Speaker Denies Involvement in Conservative Party Ad
Deputy Speaker Chris d’Entremont denies approving an advertisement for a Conservative party event that sparked accusations of partisanship from the NDP.
The NDP criticized an ad for a party event featuring a photo of Mr. d’Entremont in his official robes, claiming it compromised the neutrality of his position.
NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen called on the Conservatives to address whether Mr. d’Entremont was aware of or endorsed the ad during a session in the House of Commons on May 30.
In a written statement, Mr. d’Entremont explained that the Facebook post promoting the event was created by a volunteer from a riding association he is not affiliated with.
He emphasized, “The photo choice and wording in this social media post were not mine nor approved by me. The photo appears to be randomly selected from the House of Commons website and was not specifically taken for this purpose.”
Adding, “If I had been shown or asked to review a draft of this Facebook post, I would never have given my approval.”
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The advertisement for a November event organized by the Dartmouth-Cole Harbour Conservative Association describes Mr. d’Entremont as a party luminary.
Conservative MPs have repeatedly called for the resignation of House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus, a Liberal MP, citing his alleged partisanship.
This criticism intensified following an incident where the Liberal party posted a video on its website promoting a summer event with Mr. Fergus without his approval, leading to an apology from the Liberal party.
Deputy government House leader Mark Gerretsen raised concerns on social media about the Conservative party ad, suggesting that Mr. d’Entremont was using his Speaker’s robes for fundraising purposes.
Mr. d’Entremont clarified that the event was a “free-admission meet-and-greet event” although raffle tickets would be sold at the door according to the event ad.
He mentioned requesting the riding association to take down the post.
Conservative party spokesperson Sebastian Skamski defended the ad, stating that it did not contain any partisan language or attacks on party leaders, unlike the actions of Speaker Greg Fergus.
