There are calls for Niagara West Conservative MPP Sam Oosterhoff to be removed from his education role after agreeing to speak at an anti-abortion event this week.
Oosterhoff, who is the parliamentary assistant to Education Minister Stephen Lecce, will be a guest speaker at anti-abortion event, that is held in collaboration with a group that has compared abortion to the Holocaust.
In 2019, Oosterhoff spoke at an anti-abortion rally outside of Queen’s Park, forcing Premier Doug Ford to release a statement saying that his government will not reopen the abortion debate.
The event, being held Wednesday night, is called “Gen Z: Challenging abortion in politics.”
It’s being hosted by student groups at three Ontario universities in collaboration with the with National Campus Life Network (NCLN), an organization whose goal is to lower abortion rates in Canada, with a specific focus on young people.
Oosterhoff issued a statement to CKTB on the matter saying "I don't think anyone is surprised to know that I am pro-life. I have always been very clear where I stand when it comes to protecting the right to life"
Speaking at a news conference Monday afternoon, Ford said that while he believes "everyone has the right to believe what they want," abortion should not be compared to the Holocaust."
"That's just wrong," he said. "Nothing should be compared to the Holocaust. That's unique. But I'll be speaking to Sam tonight."”
NDP leader Andrea Horwath says in a tweet that Oosterhoff would rather support a group insulting the memory of millions of murdered Jews than focus on students facing an unprecedented challenge.
Liberal leader Steven Del Duca tweeted it's inappropriate for the education minister's parliamentary assistant to attend an event attacking a woman's right to choose.
New Democratic Party MPP and education critic Marit Stiles took to social media today to express her frustration at how a member of the Ontario government could support such an organization.
“How is this in any way acceptable, let alone for the parliamentary assistant to the minister of education,” she said on Twitter. “I would like to see the minister publicly denounce this group…and Oosterhoff should step down. Enough is enough.”