Boebert’s comments, which came about a week after Canadian police broke up a weeks-long demonstration in which truckers protested coronavirus vaccine mandates, prompted condemnation from Canadian politicians.
Lauren Boebert told Fox Nation at CPAC that Canada needs to be “liberated” along with Ukraine.
“We also have neighbors to the north who need freedom.” pic.twitter.com/dymrCTRcxp
— David Edwards (@DavidEdwards) February 27, 2022
Anthony Housefather, a Liberal member of Parliament representing Mount Royal in Montreal, condemned the congresswoman for equating protests in Canada with the crisis in Ukraine.
“[It] is sad to hear you compare free & democratic Canada to the invasion of Ukraine,” he tweeted Sunday. “If you would like to learn about Canada please reach out.”
Boebert, whose office did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment early Monday, supported the three-week protests in Canada known as the “Freedom Convoy.” In a tweet on Feb. 15, the congresswoman called the group’s efforts “representative of a people’s yearning for freedom — something so many thought may have been all but lost to decadence.”
“I’m glad to see the will to fight for liberty is still alive and well!” she added.
Boebert’s interview with Kayleigh McEnany and Pete Hegseth on Fox Nation, the network’s streaming service, took place at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando. The congresswoman praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for refusing the U.S.’s offer to transport him out of the country as Russia invades major cities.
“I need ammunition, not a ride,” he said.
“They have a great president right now who’s really said clearly, ‘Live free or die,’ ” Boebert said.
A video of Boebert’s interview, which went viral on Twitter, racking up over 1.2 million views as of early Monday, has angered some politicians.
Ryan Turnbull, a Liberal member of Parliament representing Whitby, Ontario, retweeted the video and wrote he was “speechless.”
Bruce Heyman, who served as U.S. ambassador to Canada during the Obama administration, called the comments “reckless” and “dangerous.”
“Canada is our best friend-best trading partner- closest ally and should be treated as such,” Heyman tweeted.
Doug Eyolfson, a doctor and former politician who’s again running for Parliament as a Liberal in Winnipeg, tied Boebert’s comments back to the Freedom Convoy, noting that the protests were “part of a dangerous right-wing movement,” he tweeted.
“Do not be complacent. Our democracy is in danger,” he added.