Trudeau defends calling out Fox News for incorrect tweet

OTTAWA, ON. (NEWS 1130) – The prime minister is defending his office for sending an open letter to Fox News about an incorrect tweet regarding the massacre at a Quebec mosque on Sunday night which left six men dead.

The tweet was left up for days claiming the shooter was a Moroccan man, even though it was known the suspect is a French-Canadian man with far right-wing beliefs.

The open letter made news in Canada, the US and around the world, and forced Fox News to take down the false tweet not long after.

However, some are questioning if the PMO is stepping out of its boundary by calling out a media outlet. Conservative MPs, like leadership candidate Lisa Raitt, are criticizing Trudeau and his office for doing this in such a public way.

“They’ve decided to pick a fight with the US media and it seems as if they are weighing in on US politics and that’s not appropriate.”
Conservative MP Tony Clement feels the situation could have been handled quietly by lower-level staff. “I just wonder whether this is how the prime minister should be occupying his day, fretting about every news article in another country.”

But on his way into a cabinet meeting this morning, Trudeau defended the move. “I think it’s important to emphasize what actually happened in Quebec City and to think about lessons we need to learn.”

The open letter called the tweet a “dishonour to the six victims of this attack.”

Twenty-seven-year-old Alexandre Bissonette has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder and five for attempted murder.

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