Alta. mental health and addiction minister criticized for sharing 'false' info on homelessness
CTV
A now-deleted tweet shared by Alberta's mental health and addiction minister's official account has some saying he was promoting "false information."
A now-deleted tweet shared by Alberta's mental health and addiction minister's official account has some saying he was promoting "false information."
Sunday morning, Minister Nicholas Milliken’s account tweeted an article written by the British tabloid DailyMail about a woman experiencing homelessness in Portland who reportedly "bragged about the perks of living on the streets."
The tweet said in quotations, "Portland homeless woman boasts about how she is fed three meals a day by woke city and can stay in her tent all day and do drugs."
Lorian Hardcastle, a University of Calgary associate law professor specializing in health policy, characterized the tweet by the minister's account as "highly problematic," suggesting a potential misunderstanding of addiction and homelessness.
"I don't think that this tweet was constructive at all," Hardcastle said, adding he should have provided context on whether it was his opinion or for why he was sharing it.
"He should be tweeting about policy solutions to these issues and having empathy for people struggling with addictions and not judgemental comments about how their lives are easy," she said.
