Peace River-Westlock MP, Arnold Viersen is apologizing to one of his colleagues in the House of Commons.
MP’s were debating a Conservative Party motion that was introduced stating, “That the House: (a) condemn the decision of the Parole Board of Canada that led to a young woman’s death by an inmate during day parole in January of this year; and (b) instruct the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security to conduct hearings into this matter, including a review of the changes made by the government in 2017 to the board’s nomination process, with the view to recommend measures to be taken to ensure another tragedy such as this never happens again.”
Viersen, an outspoken member when it comes to the crime of sex trafficking, was debating the motion with NDP MP, Laurel Collins, who suggested the Conservative MP to consider listening to sex workers, who say it is work.
Viersen responded by asking if it is an area of work that she has considered, and did tweet an apology.
Earlier today, I stood in the House of Commons to apologize unreservedly to @Laurel_BC for my comments during the debate on our Opposition Day motion.
— Arnold Viersen, MP (@ArnoldViersen) February 4, 2020
While Collins accepted Viersen’s apology, she tweeted that it should be extended to all women.
I’m glad @ArnoldViersen apologized to me, but I invite him to extend his apology to all women. Denigrating sex work & criminalizing the very things that would keep sex workers safe contribute to increased violence. #SexWorkIsWork https://t.co/rTMExXdoy4
— Laurel Collins (@Laurel_BC) February 4, 2020
In a call with the Trending 55 Newsroom, Viersen did say, “there were a bunch of back-and-forths so I ask everyone to watch my entire speech and come to their own judgement.”
– Kenny Trenton, Trending 55 Newsroom
