On August 3rd both Parliament Hill and the Prime Minister’s residence were struck by separate motor vehicles resulting in the arrest of one individual.

This articles headline states that Parliament Hill and The Prime Minister’s residence were “rammed” by separate motor vehicles.

This headline is misleading. The first line of the article is also misleading, “The political temperature is heating up in Ottawa.” 

If you read the entire article there is no information from the police investigation to validate these statements.

The article itself reports or implies that:

1. A tour bus crashed into the gates of the Prime Minister’s residence and no arrest was made.

This would indicate that it was an accident. Anything more and the media would be reporting ad nauseum, yet there’s no further information.

2. A man was arrested after ramming the barricades at Parliament Hill and charges were laid.

The criminal incident at Parliament Hill (not the PM’s residence) could have been directed at anyone. In fact, it may not even have been politically motivated at all, such as an impaired driver. There is no information on what the charges against this person are.

These two incidents do not appear at all related. One deliberate, one accidental.

The referenced CTV tweet also leads the reader to believe the two events are related when in fact they are not. “One in custody after vehicle rams gate at Parliament Hill” is the bold heading, followed by an image of a bus hitting the fencing at the Prime Minister’s residence, an event completely unrelated to the headline.

The article then informs the reader of previous assassination attempt on the Prime Minister. This type of reporting leads the reader to believe something that has no basis in evidence.

First, they conflate the two acts and implicate intentional criminal behaviour and then, even more disheartening, certain institutions have attempted to insinuate freedom loving Canadians as somehow involved or supportive.

If the evidence proves that the incident at Parliament Hill is in fact a targeted criminal act, then it is an afront to all Canadians and must be denounced. Considering the recent protests in Ottawa, the use of the Emergencies Act, and the incidents of violence against police and protestors, more information is required before making these statements and insinuations.

We will continue to stand up for the rights of all Canadians and hope that you will too!

To read the article by Mark Slapinski of Toronto 99 Independent News, click here