Adventist MP Expelled from Canadian Conservative Caucus
20 January 2021 |
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Conservative Party of Canada members of parliament have voted to expel Seventh-day Adventist Derek Sloan from the conservative caucus after the Ontario representative accepted a donation from Paul Fromm, a well-known white supremacist who has links to neo-Nazi and other hate groups.
Sloan has responded to the expulsion, insisting that he was unaware of the donation. CPC Leader Erin O’Toole replied,
The Conservative caucus voted to remove Derek Sloan not because of one specific event, but because of a pattern of destructive behaviour involving multiple incidents and disrespect towards the Conservative team for over a year. … These actions have been a consistent distraction from our efforts to grow the party and focus on the work we need to do. Events of the past week were simply the last straw and led to our caucus making the decision it did today.
According to the CBC report,
Sloan has been a polarizing figure in Canadian politics, generating controversy with his socially conservative views on LGBTQ rights. He alarmed members of his own party in April when he posted a message and video on Facebook and Twitter claiming Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam had “failed Canadians” during the pandemic and asking if she works “for Canada or for China.”
Adventist Today previously reported on Sloan’s sponsorship of a petition by an anti-vaxxing organization.
Expulsion from the caucus does not mean that Sloan is removed from parliament. He still has a vote, but sits as an independent. However his removal from the party means he will no longer have campaign support and money for his next run for parliament, which may come as soon as this spring.
O’Toole said that “he did not vote to expel Sloan because he’s a social conservative.” Nonetheless, says O’Toole, “As leader of Canada’s Conservatives, I will not allow Mr. Sloan to run as a candidate for our party.”