Ontario lawmaker Adam van Coverden has apologized for cursing a Canadian woman living abroad who called the former Olympian a “disgrace to a Canadian” for tackling her concerns about vaccine mandates.
“Last week, I allowed my emotions to overwhelm me and responded in an unacceptable way to a direct message, and I’m sorry about that,” said van Coverden, who represents Milton’s ride in Ontario for the Liberals. post.
“I want to apologize to the person I offended with the message and to everyone else I disappointed.
Kate Faith, a schoolteacher from Brantford, Ont. who lives in New Zealand told CBC News that she has not been vaccinated. She said she decided not to get vaccinated because she feared she might have a reaction, and because of travel restrictions, her family would not be able to visit her in New Zealand if she fell ill.
Feith said vaccination mandates, which require all travelers coming to Canada to be fully vaccinated, prevent her from boarding a flight to Canada to visit her parents or attend important family events.
“Last year my grandfather died and I had to watch his funeral on FaceTime, and now my uncle is sick and I am not allowed to go home and see him,” she said.
– @ vankayak
Feith told CBC News that she was fired as a teacher in November because of her vaccination status. She said she resumed her training in April, when vaccination mandates in New Zealand fell.
She said she had written to every Liberal and NDP lawmaker to express her disappointment with the length of Canada’s vaccine mandates, but none responded. She said she had started contacting MPs on Instagram, but only one MP responded.
In a tense Instagram exchange with van Coverden, she asked the MP why the vaccine mandates are still in force and suggested that it was related to “corruption and MPs who will not do what is right”.
Tense exchange
“Well, you sound a lot smarter than the epidemiologists I’m talking to. “I’m sorry to answer,” said van Coverden, who is parliamentary secretary to the health minister.
Feith told van Coverden that she was 29, who had COVID two months ago, and asked him why she was not allowed to fly.
“I’m not here to inform Kate later,” van Coverden said.
Feith pressed van Coverden for evidence in support of vaccine mandates and called the MP “a disgrace to a Canadian.”
“Fuck you,” van Coverden replied.
Former Olympian Adam van Coverden was elected to the House of Commons as a Liberal MP in 2019. He now serves as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Health and the Minister of Sports. (Canadian Press)
The MP added that he “made a mistake by responding to a person like you” and wished Vyara “success”.
“He wasn’t receptive and he was quite lenient, he just said I’m not a scientist, but he’s not,” she said. “He just threw everything away and said it was justified, and he said, damn it, because I called out his negative behavior.”
Van Coverden said in a Twitter message that he was aware that the last two years had been extremely difficult for everyone.
“Going forward, I will work to be more patient and to adhere to the high standard that people deserve from their elected representatives,” he said in his apology.
MEPs need to listen: Lanzman
Feith said she had also contacted a small number of Conservative MPs and received answers from Toronto Conservative MP Melissa Lanzman and Conservative leadership candidate Leslin Lewis.
Lantzman, who is calling for an end to vaccine mandates, has personally responded to Feith about her concerns.
“We told her we were working on reuniting her with her family,” Lanzman told CBC News.
Lanzman said that while being an MP is hard work and it can be difficult not to lose your temper, people need to know that MPs listen to their concerns.
Feith said she saw van Coverden’s tweet, which goes back to his language and doesn’t think it’s real.
“I think it would be cool and big of him to reach out and apologize. “Otherwise, I think it’s just words,” she said.
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