Former Canadian MP faces backlash for "the whitest take" on Buffalo shooting
Canada’s former minister of infrastructure and communities is facing the heat for her comments on the recent mass shooting in Buffalo, New York.
Catherine McKenna, a Liberal MP from 2015 to 2021, tweeted Sunday morning in response to the fatal shooting that killed 10 Black people. Many are calling her out on her “privileged” opinion.
“Reading the news today, I’m feeling very fortunate to live in Canada — a diverse and tolerant country that values freedom while respecting human rights,” she wrote. “We aren’t perfect, and building our country is an ongoing project, but I wouldn’t choose anywhere else.”
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The mass shooting occurred on Saturday at Tops Friendly Markets, a grocery store in Buffalo. Social media posts by Payton S. Gendron, the 18-year-old white suspect, reveal he had been planning the attack for months, reported CNN. Officials also found a 180-page racist manifesto exposing his belief in the false notion that white Americans are being “replaced” by other races.
Mckenna’s tweet has over 2,000 quote retweets, most of which are people criticizing her for “THE whitest take” they’ve seen.
this is THE whitest take I’ve ever seen https://t.co/7qFXJwc1Oa
— mastiff with a 4 (@m4stiff) May 17, 2022
Many #BIPOC in the comments telling her that her experience in #Canada is privileged and inaccurate.
She keeps replying “I’m still thankful”. Ugh.
That’s the point. You are thankful because you’re white. And you double down instead of listening, @cathmckenna. https://t.co/pM6tHk2OeN
— Breen Ouellette (he/him) (@BreenOuellette) May 16, 2022
“Don’t love this take, Catherine. There is rampant Islamophobia, anti-Black and anti-Asian racism on *the daily* everywhere here,” tweeted Huda Idrees, writer and CEO of Dot Health.
Don’t love this take, Catherine. There is rampant Islamophobia, anti-Black and anti-Asian racism on *the daily* everywhere here.
— Huda Idrees (@hidrees) May 15, 2022
Many people responded to McKenna with receipts.
“While you were in government, we had the Quebec City Mosque massacre and the IMO killing. Shortly after, we had the London Terror Attack. And those are just killings affecting Canadian Muslims,” tweeted Mustafa Farooq, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
@cathmckenna – while you were in government, we had the Quebec City Mosque massacre and the IMO killing. Shortly after, we had the London Terror Attack.
And those are just killings affecting Canadian Muslims.
We should all be grateful for what we have.
But…bad take here.
— Mustafa Farooq (@mfarooq45) May 15, 2022
He is referring to the Quebec City Mosque shooting, a terrorist attack that killed six people and seriously injured 19 others; the stabbing of a man outside of the International Muslim Organization mosque in Toronto; and a terrorist attack in London, Ontario, that killed a Muslim family of four.
A year ago 3 generations of a family were murdered while going for a walk as a family, by a white supremacist. Patting ourselves on the back as Canadians is denial. We have a white supremacist movement committed to violence in Canada and this shooting could happen here.
— Hunkerton (@Hunkerton) May 15, 2022
Others reminded McKenna of the hundreds of unmarked graves (and counting) discovered on former residential school sites across the country.
Is this the same Canada where another 200 remains of Indigenous children were found less than a year ago in unmarked graves? Where the military is accused of rampant racism now?? THAT Canada? https://t.co/aCGYDx7Vli
— Dr. Nicki Washington (@dr_nickiw) May 15, 2022
Canada respects human rights and yall went on a two month streak of digging up indigenous babies? https://t.co/U3ebNOvYkP
— ♉ Taurean Termagant 🇦🇬 (@TheDreadEmpress) May 15, 2022
The former MP responded to the criticism an hour after her initial tweet.
“I get that we need to do better & more in [Canada] in many ways including to address discrimination against minorities, advance the recognition of rights & reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, tackle climate, address inequality,” she wrote. “But that doesn’t take away from how far we’ve come.”
I get that we need to do better & more in 🇨🇦 in many ways including to address discrimination against minorities, advance the recognition of rights & reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, tackle climate, address inequality. But that doesn’t take away from how far we’ve come.
— Catherine McKenna (@cathmckenna) May 15, 2022
People still aren’t impressed and are wondering why Canadians respond this way after tragedies that occur in the US.
Canadians say this everytime there is a tragedy.
It’s a lie btw https://t.co/aAHZzgbGdX
— Backxwash (@backxwash) May 16, 2022
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