The MP for Central Nova says he has no fear of reprisal after criticizing his government’s Portapique massacre review.
Sean Fraser, and several other Liberal MPs from the province, broke ranks to criticize the announced review.
Fraser tells The Hawk he has no regrets about coming out in favour of a public inquiry.
“I have absolutely, absolutely no fear that there’s going to be anybody upset with me for sharing my opinion on this,” he says. “Frankly, if I thought that was the way our party did business, I wouldn’t have any interest in being a part of it.”
Fraser says it’s one of the key responsibilities of MPs to tell their constituents where they stand on important issues.
Shortly after the MPs made their concerns public, Federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair reversed his position and announced a full joint public inquiry.
Fraser says a full public inquiry into the Portapique massacre was what the affected families, community members, and people across the province wanted, and he’s glad it’s happening.
“People want to know that their representatives are speaking for them,” he says. “The Prime Minster has said to me in public, and privately, on many occasions, that he wants me to be the representative of my community in Ottawa, not the representative of Ottawa in my community.”
However, Fraser’s name appeared on a letter in support of the review after the initial announcement.
He says he did see the letter before it was published, and expressed where he thought the review terms of reference got it right, as well as his concerns.
Fraser says he wasn’t clear enough, and the miscommunication meant the letter went out with his name on it, despite his position that a full public inquiry was required.
He says he should have been clear in the first place that he did not support the letter.
