FIRST READING: Poilievre described a Canadian who fled to Mexico for safety. Here’s why

Article content

The comment was likely a reference to Cait Alexander, who testified in 2024 to the Status of Women Committee.

Article content

Alexander, founder of the group End Violence Everywhere, was brutally beaten by an intimate partner who was freed on bail the next day.

Article content

“All eight charges, five in the provincial and three in the federal, were stayed against my ex. I can’t say his name, because it will forever be known as ‘alleged’ abuse,” Alexander, who now lives full time in California, told the committee.

Article content

Alexander added, “I can’t live in Canada anymore, because it’s not safe for me.”

Article content

In her interview with The Elevate Report, where she was introduced facetiously as the “fake airport woman,” Welyki did not detail the nature of the incident that caused her to move to Mexico, but said that she would gladly return if she felt able.

Article content

“I left the country for certain reasons and I’m upset about it. I love my country,” she said.

Article content

“Do you think this would be my first choice? Or do you think I would rather be at home with my friends and family?”

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

“I said I’d like to come home, and he said, in return, ‘We’re going to get you home,’” she said.

Article content

Last week, Poilievre’s anecdote was also brought up with Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum. After a CBC reporter described Poilievre’s account of a woman leaving Canada for Mexico, Sheinbaum replied, “What you experience in Mexico, you don’t experience in the U.S. or Canada.”

Article content

Article content

IN OTHER NEWS

Article content

Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his official plans for 24 Sussex Drive, the gutted and rat-infested official prime ministerial residence that has lain dormant since 2015.

Article content

Article content

A price tag hasn’t been set, although no single donor will be able to contribute more than 10 per cent of the total. And according to the Rideau Hall Foundation, the weekend already saw $100,000 in collected donations.

Article content

The most immediate criticism of the donor plan is that it could transform the project into a carousel of influence-peddling, with major lobbyists attempting to curry favour with Carney by cutting cheques to what is effectively a legacy project.