Candidate for Quebec Conservatives apologizes for 2020 post about euthanizing pro

Candidate for Quebec Conservatives apologizes for 2020 post about euthanizing pro-vaccine people

Other candidates from other parties also faced backlash, calls to step down

A candidate for the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) is apologizing for comments he made at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic during which he wrote that Quebecers in favour of vaccines should be euthanized.

David Alarie, now a PCQ candidate in Brome-Missisquoi, in the Eastern Townships, said he had shared those thoughts “in the heat of the moment.”

In a Facebook post from Nov. 19, 2020, Alarie wrote: “I’ve been holding back for too long. Those who believe that the government is doing the right things, the only vaccine owed to you is euthanasia.”

Months later, on Jan. 19, 2021, he said the only way to get the CAQ government out of power was to harass their MNAs and demand their resignation.

In an emailed statement sent to Radio-Canada following questions sent to the party, Alarie now says these comments were “clumsy” and do not reflect his current thinking or that of the PCQ.

“In the middle of the pandemic, I wanted to show a bit of humour, but I recognize today that it was in bad taste,” read his statement.

During the 2022 election campaign, a CBC News investigation found that of the first 54 candidates the party had announced, nearly 30 per cent have used their social media accounts during the pandemic to amplify medical misinformation, conspiracy theorists or to engage with far-right extremists.

This election campaign, several other party candidates have had past comments highlighted in traditional media outlets.

Asked about some of those cases on Wednesday, PCQ Leader Éric Duhaime said the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) is “digging dirt.”

“It's the kind of tactics that are understandable from a very unpopular government who has a terrible track record,” he said.

“I'm telling Mrs. [Christine] Fréchette, she needs to elevate the debate a little bit. Stop asking her employees to dig dirt and start to talk about her own track record.”

Just seven days into the election campaign, several other candidates in various parties have faced pushback and even calls to resign.

CAQ candidate and comments made to a women’s centre

This past week, the CAQ candidate in the Ungava riding pulled out of the race after comments he made at the Centres de femmes Les Elles Nord — a women’s centre located in Chibougamau, Que.

In a news release, the organization states that the candidate, Paul Dadie, visited its premises without an appointment to discuss the centre's activities and mission, and the director made herself available to meet with him.

During the exchange, Dadie questioned the centre's women-only policy, the access reserved exclusively for women in certain spaces, as well as the fact that the organization does not hire men, according to a news release issued by the organization on Tuesday.

“He also expressed the idea that men also had a say and an opinion to offer regarding the realities experienced by women," the statement reads.

"The tone and posture adopted by the candidate during this meeting created a confrontational climate rather than a genuine dialogue. The director was interrupted several times and could barely finish her responses.”

CAQ Party Leader Christine Fréchette confirmed on social media that the candidate was withdrawing and had offered his apologies. She described his behaviour as unacceptable.

Controversy surrounding PQ candidate

Parti Québécois (PQ) candidate in the Charlevoix–Côte-de-Beaupré riding, François Gariépy, was embroiled in controversy even before the election campaign began.

In recent weeks, there's been a consistent spotlight on the former journalist's past statements, including a podcast episode during which he used a slur against Indigenous women and another instance where he was accused of mocking women 55 and older.

So far, St-Pierre Plamondon has acknowledged the comments were inapproriate but said he had no intention of asking the candidate to withdraw.

In a post on X Wednesday afternoon he referred to statements made by Duhaime, saying he was in line with him on this and said he doesn’t care “about the misadventures of the PCQ candidates in 2014, or those of other parties.”

“We’ve seen enough of the anecdotal distractions concocted by the CAQ to keep up from talking about their track record and campaigning on our proposals and ideas,” he wrote.

Rachel Watts is a journalist with CBC News in Quebec City. Originally from Montreal, she enjoys covering stories in the province of Quebec. You can reach her at rachel.watts@cbc.ca.

With files from CBC's Kwabena Oduro and Radio-Canada's Gabriel Paré-Asatoory, Frédéric Audet and Jérôme Labbé