The Liberal’s Deputy House Leader, Mark Gerretsen, has issued an apology to The Counter Signal’s Katrina Panova, known online as Kat Kanada, after he falsely stated she was funded by Russia.
Mark Gerretsen formal apology post pictured (left)
As part of a settlement agreement between Kat and himself, Gerretsen posted a 3-part apology, which included a $1,000 donation to a charity of Kat’s choosing.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to @KatKanada_TM for my previous post in which I alleged that she is funded by the Russian government,” Gerretsen said.
He added: “I will be personally donating $1,000 to the Loaves & Fishes Community Food Bank in Nanaimo, BC, a charity chosen by Kat. If others who shared my original tweet would like to do the same, they can do so here: https://nanaimoloavesandfishes.org/donate/”
Following Gerretsen’s initial defamatory accusations against Panova, which included a call to haul her before Parliament to address her (falsely) alleged Russia-based funding, countless social media users and at least one media outlet echoed his false claims.
Kat responded to Gerretsen’s apology on Thursday, telling him that she fled the USSR to live in a country where those in power could not wield their office as a weapon against journalists.
“I think Mark honestly doesn’t understand why that is important, but don’t worry, we explained it to him,” she said.
Earlier this year, in Parliament, Gerretsen proposed banning calling Justin Trudeau corrupt to “improve decorum” in the House of Commons.
To this, Conservative MP Corey Tocher stated the obvious—that Trudeau and the Liberals have been caught time and time again engaging in corrupt activities.
