On June 17 Kootenay-Columbia Conservative candidate Rob Morrison called on MP Wayne Stetski to denounce a “Cranbrook based group of communists and anarchists.”

Stetski has been “slow to respond” to a call by Morrison to denounce a small group (United Leftists Cranbrook) forming in the Cranbrook area that calls for communists and anarchists to participate, alongside Liberals and socialists, to form “a coalition of united leftists,” Morrison stated in a media release.

Quick to denounce the group, Morrison said, “this is a slap in the face to the men and women who have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms. Many have fought to stop the spread of communism and it has no place in a strong, free and united Canada. This is not an issue of left and right, but of right and wrong and I choose to stand for the men and women who fought for our freedoms. A slow response from the NDP Candidate is concerning and the people of Kootenay Columbia deserve better.

“Once again I am calling on Wayne Stetski to denounce this group and all others that promote communism and anarchy.”

Asked by e-KNOW to comment, MP Stetski said, “I am not sure who Mr. Morrison hangs out with but I haven’t heard from this group and am not aware of their existence.”

The United Leftists Cranbrook have a Kijiji page that states (sic): “Calling all Liberals, Socialists, Communists, Anarchists and leftists of any sort: we’re putting together a coalition of united leftists to discuss ideas and make a difference in the community. We can’t let the right and conservatives have a louder voice any more, progressive voices and opinions must be heard. Unity will bring us closer together, and through that we can make some real positive changes in our society and the world. Send an email and we’ll organize a meet up.”

As for Morrison’s demand for Stetski to denounce the group he was heretofore unfamiliar with, the MP said, “As a Canadian of Ukrainian descent, and having been to Ukraine, I know first-hand the horrors of communism. I was also a strong supporter of the Magnetsky Law which was passed by unanimous vote in the House of Commons on October 18, 2017. This law allows the Canadian government to seize property in Canada and ban entrance to Canada to foreign property owners who are engaged in illegal activities in their home countries. While it is there for use against any country, its primary focus was Russia where Sergei Magnetsky died in a Moscow prison on November 16, 2009 after revealing corruption at the highest levels in Russia.”

Stetski added: “I  am concerned about anarchists of any kind but particularly the growth in right wing anarchists around the world. I encourage all candidates in the upcoming election to call out racism, bigotry, inequality, homophobia, hatred of any kind, the use of fake news and fear mongering to try and divide the citizens of Kootenay-Columbia and Canada, and I invite all candidates to join in the war against climate change.”

Lead image: This image appears on the United Leftists Cranbrook Kijiji page. 

e-KNOW

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