Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has criticized Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer over his response to a man who invoked the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory at a town hall in Kitchener, Ont. this week.
The man touched on the debunked Pizzagate theory over the course of a rambling two-minute question in which he criticized the Trudeau government’s decision to donate money to organizations like the Clinton Foundation.
Pizzagate is an unfounded conspiracy theory that claims Democrats in the U.S. harbour child sex slaves at a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant. The rumour prompted a gunman to fire an assault weapon inside the restaurant in 2016.
“The Clinton Foundation is part of child trafficking and child sacrifice if you study it. It is in the pizzagate,” the town hall attendee said to applause from the crowd. “How do we get that money back?”
Scheer responded by expressing concern about Trudeau using money from Canadian taxpayers towards “his own personal projects,” stating that the Clinton Foundation was just one of many examples of groups that received money from Trudeau’s government to promote “their own particular ideology.”
READ MORE: Andrew Scheer says he didn’t challenge ‘pizzagate’ comment because he didn’t hear it
Canada donated $20 million to the Clinton Health Access Initiative in 2017. The money is to go to help young women in Nigeria with family planning.
On Friday, Scheer said that he didn’t correct the man on his Pizzagate reference because he didn’t hear it.
“I heard the question was related to the government’s — Justin Trudeau’s — decision to give a grant to the Clinton Foundation. That is what I answered,” Scheer said Friday in Rosser, Man. “I didn’t hear anything about the other aspect.”
WATCH: Andrew Scheer says he didn’t hear full question on ‘pizzagate’ conspiracy
Trudeau didn’t accept the explanation, saying Saturday that Scheer showed “that he simply doesn’t hear or doesn’t notice intolerant comments.”
“Someone made just a terrible comment about a bit of fake news that is absolutely heinous in its substance called Pizzagate,” Trudeau said during an armchair discussion at an Catholic teachers association meeting in Ottawa on Saturday. “And [Scheer’s] response was, ‘Oh I didn’t hear that comment in the question.’”
Trudeau went on to attack Scheer for failing to acknowledge “some of the fringe elements” among the convoy of truckers who drove from Alberta to Parliament Hill in Ottawa to protest the lack of progress on pipeline projects.
“If there’s one thing we need to do as Canadians, [it is to] be vigilant about the intolerant and extremist voices coming from all sides and stay true to the values of respect and openness that have served us so well as a country,” Trudeau said.
He also took a shot at Scheer over the composition of his town halls, suggesting that he only allowed supporters into the events.
“It would be nice if he let the actual public into these town halls, but that’s another thing,” Trudeau said.
— With files from the Canadian Press
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