Conservatives condemn racist conspiracy theory, attack each other over Buffalo shooting

Leadership candidates and the interim leader of the Conservative Party are condemning the racist "white replacement theory" that allegedly inspired Saturday's mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y.

But there is still discord in the party about how that condemnation came about — with Pierre Poilievre accusing leadership rival Patrick Brown of a "sleazy" use of an atrocity and with Brown's campaign questioning why Poilievre and other Conservatives didn't condemn the killings sooner.

It's been a particularly ugly moment in an already heated leadership race.

"It shouldn't take us time to come out and emphatically stand up for what's right," said Michelle Rempel Garner, co-chair of Brown's leadership campaign.

"Those moments of hesitation, frankly, I think they're very detrimental to Canada's pluralism. I just think our party needs to do a better job of immediately condemning this type of murderous ideology."

Saturday's shooting left 10 people dead and has been described by authorities as "racially motivated violent extremism." Most of the people killed were Black and the 18-year-old shooter reportedly left a lengthy manifesto espousing the idea that whites were being replaced by non-whites — a racist conspiracy theory known as "white replacement theory."

Disagreement among Conservatives sparked by the deaths went public on Sunday when Brown tweeted out a 2019 video of Pat King, one of the key figures behind the protest convoy that occupied downtown Ottawa in February. In it, King discusses the idea that white people are being deliberately replaced.

Brown noted that the racist theory reportedly was part of the shooter's manifesto and called on Poilievre — who has been vocally supportive of convoy protesters — to do the same.

Rempel Garner then tweeted that such racist propaganda must be denounced from every corner of every political party and said those who give space to such "treasonous" content are complicit.

"Pat King stood in the convoy and Pat King stood for this. We have to purge our own tents of hate, in all forms, or Buffalo happens," she wrote.

On Monday afternoon, Poilievre's campaign released a statement denouncing both the attack in Buffalo and King.

"I condemn the attack in Buffalo and the ugly racist hatred that motivated it. Any and all racism is evil and must be stopped. I also denounce the so-called 'white replacement theory' as ugly and disgusting hate mongering. I also condemn Pat King and his ugly remarks," the statement reads.

Poilievre went on to question Brown's motives.

"For Patrick Brown to use this atrocity is sleazy — even for him."