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Freedom Party of Ontario

 

 

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INSENSITIVE EVES BREEDS FEAR OF NAZI WAR CRIMINALS
Having erred with anti-immigrant strategy, 'war criminals in Thornhill' comment digs hole deeper


September 8, 2003 - Thornhill, Ontario

On September 7, 2003, the Freedom Party of Ontario issued a media release condemning the Eves campaign for demagoguery in relation to the PC immigration plank. Today, Eves was forced to back-peddle as similar, reported criticisms of the immigration plank were made by Liberal and NDP candidates. As a result, speaking in Thornhill today, Eves avoided talk about 'protecting' Ontario's social services from immigrants. He instead tried to put a positive spin on his immigration plank by suddenly suggesting that it is only referring to Nazi war criminals and would-be terrorists.

"Having now caught heck for trying to secure votes by appealing to those who dislike or fear some or all immigrants, Mr. Eves now wants to pretend that he was merely misunderstood, and that he was only referring to Nazi war criminals and the like" says Freedom Party of Ontario leader, Paul McKeever. "Well it doesn't wash. His campaign literature makes no such qualification. The vote of the hateful has already been purchased with the ugly suggestions in the PCs' literature."

McKeever explains "We've seen Mr. Eves pull this sort of stunt earlier in the campaign. Days ago, he painted himself as a deeply religious person in an effort to provide a wink-wink, nudge-nudge answer to his stand on the gay marriage issue. Well, his election literature uses the same wink-wink nudge-nudge approach on the immigration issue, and it's unbecoming of a person who wants to be elected Premier in a general election. It is also irresponsible: he carelessly risks imbedding, in the minds of some Ontarians, unfounded, false and destructive images of an Ontario health-care system that needs his protection from abuse by immigrants".

Ernie Eves' comments in Thornhill today have McKeever particularly angry. Eves was quoted by Canadian Press today as saying:

"Earlier this summer, Canadians learned that 59 war criminals are in Canada and the Liberal government in Ottawa quite frankly doesn't know where they are," he added.

"They could be right under their noses in Ottawa, they could be in Toronto, they could be right here in Thornhill."

McKeever says "It's bad enough that Ernie is trying to cover his tracks by suddenly narrowing his comments to war criminals and terrorists. But to attempt to win votes by raising the disturbing spectre of 59 war criminals living in Thornhill is unconscionable. It was blatant fear-mongering and showed a complete lack of sensitivity for the residents of the Thornhill community."


The Freedom Party of Ontario's election platform focusses on economically sound solutions to the most important problems facing Ontario: problems in relation to health care, education, electricity. Our platform, The Right Direction, can be found at:

https://freedomparty.on.ca/platform.pdf (Adobe .pdf format)

https://freedomparty.on.ca/platform/html/cover.htm (HTML format)


Paul McKeever (who will be running in the riding of Oshawa, against Sid Ryan and Jerry Ouellette) is available to discuss this matter. You can contact him directly at:

***-***-**** (cell)

Freedom Party is expected to run candidates in approximately half of Ontario's ridings in the coming election.

For further information: Paul McKeever, Leader, Freedom Party of Ontario.
Oshawa Office Telephone: 905-721-9772.
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Freedom Party of Ontario
Box 2214, London, Ontario N6A 4E3
1-(800)-830-3301 / (519) 681-3999
FAX: (519) 681-2857

freedomparty.on.ca
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