General

Tony Clement loves communist Bethune, hates communist Cuba

Treasury Board President Tony Clement is being ridiculed on twitter. On Wednesday he attended the opening ceremony of a government-funded visitor’s center named after famed Canadian humanitarian Dr. Norman Bethune, in Mr. Clement’s riding.

Yesterday, he joined flamethrower Ezra Levant in criticizing former Globe and Mail editor Stephen Wicary for moving to Cuba to be with his humanitarian wife.

Parks Canada was celebrating Bethune “owing to his medical accomplishments and humanitarian work…[he] is most famous for his humanitarian actions during the last two years of his life in China.” Not insignificantly, the Bethune memorial in Gravenhurst is a beacon for visitors from China, for whom Bethune is a national hero.

Bethune was also a committed communist, which is why he went to China in the first place. Meanwhile, Stephen Wicary’s wife accepted a job with charity CARE Canada, as Jonathan Kay of the National Post notes. Her husband will be joining her. Clement attacked Mr. Wicary for choosing “to live in a communist country.” Apparently, his move indicates that he is a vile communist worthy of a Minister’s contempt.

Twitterers are amused. Eva Holland wrote:

So @TonyclementCPC does not believe in Canadian citizens moving abroad for charity work. Minister, should we close down CIDA and DFAIT, too?

Ryan Wright wrote:

I bet once @TonyclementCPC realizes that Bethune moved to a communist country to do aid work, @wicary will get a monument too.

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