OTTAWA – Opposition MPs demanded the resignation of junior minister Hedy Fry on Thursday for accusing some residents of Prince George, British Columbia, of being racist and falsely attributing her information to the town’s mayor.
But they were rebuffed by Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who said her apology was enough.
Fry, secretary of state responsible for multiculturalism, told the Commons on Wednesday that residents of Prince George burned crosses on their lawns.
On Thursday, she tried to put the matter to rest with a short apology that many later said wasn’t nearly adequate.
“She’s supposed to be a champion of tolerance and acceptance and of inclusiveness and, instead, she continues to drive divisiveness everywhere she goes,” Canadian Alliance House leader Chuck Strahl said outside the Commons.
Prince George officials flatly denied that the mayor ever spoke to Fry about cross burnings.
