N.L. immigration minister blasts PC candidate over comments on recruiting doctors from India, Pakistan
CBC
Newfoundland and Labrador's immigration minister says comments made by a Progressive Conservative candidate in an ongoing byelection are full of "overtones" that are "unacceptable."
Minister Gerry Byrne says the leader of the PC Party needs to consider if he still wants Lin Paddock to be a representative of his party.
Paddock made a comment during a byelection debate held at the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce on Thursday when speaking about the province recruiting doctors from overseas.
"We need to recruit in areas that love this, places like Germany where they adore the outdoors, not India and Pakistan where they will come here and then go to Toronto," Paddock said.
Byrne said he has no idea where Paddock got information to support his statement.
"Not only are [the comments] not true in evidence, but they have overtones which cannot be condoned," Byrne said. "It is my duty and my responsibility to call out these comments and to demand an explanation but more importantly a retraction and an apology."
CBC News asked Paddock for an interview. He was said to be unavailable due to him campaigning in an area with poor cellular reception.
In an emailed statement, Paddock said his comments were meant to emphasize the need for effective health-care professional recruitment and retention strategies in Newfoundland and Labrador.
"I recognize that my comments about recruiting from specific countries were poorly worded and I am sorry if this may have offended anyone. I want to be clear that all healthcare professionals, regardless of their country of origin, are welcomed, valued, and essential to our province," he wrote.
"I am committed to promoting inclusive and respectful recruitment practices that welcome healthcare professionals from all backgrounds, ensuring that Newfoundland and Labrador remains a diverse and vibrant place for everyone."
Byrne said he has heard from the Friends of India Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, which expressed concern over the remarks. The group's president declined an interview when contacted by CBC on Monday.
Premier Andrew Furey took to social media to express his thoughts while sharing the video on Facebook.
"Is this the PC policy? To only welcome people from certain countries?" he wrote. "Doctors from around the world have chosen to make Newfoundland and Labrador home, and they have contributed greatly to their communities. I have been fortunate to work with many of them."
Dr. Todd Young — who runs the Main Street Medical Clinic in Springdale, where the byelection is taking place — also posted on Facebook, saying: "In medicine if I was to make such a comment it would be worthy of sanctioning."
Margaret Walker, the emcee of a Waterloo vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal massacre, doesn't feel enough is being done to reflect on the killings and address gender-based violence.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.
A memorial to remember lives lost to gender-based violence was held in Charlottetown Friday, ahead of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is marked annually on Dec. 6.
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.