Stockwell Day

In a televised discussion following George Floyd's death, Day stated that he did not believe Canada was a systemically racist country and compared certain teasing he had experienced as a child with experiences of discrimination. His remarks provoked a strong public reaction, and he left the board of directors of Telus, among others.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

As President of the Treasury Board, Day maintained that official statistics did not reflect an increase in unreported crime and that this helped justify additional prison expenditure. When questioned, he initially failed to provide precise data demonstrating the alleged trend, prompting major controversy.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

MP Jim Hart had vacated his seat to allow Day to stand in the constituency, and a subsequent $50,000 payment was described as severance compensation. Years later, allegations characterised the amount as a possible inducement to resign, prompting an RCMP investigation.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following a series of gaffes, internal conflicts and political setbacks, several Canadian Alliance MPs challenged Day and either left or were expelled from the caucus. The crisis culminated in another leadership contest, in which Stephen Harper replaced Day in 2002.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

While serving as an Alberta minister, Day publicly associated lawyer Lorne Goddard with the defence of child sexual abuse material, leading to a defamation action. The case was settled using public funds, with documented total costs of several hundred thousand dollars, prompting national controversy over the use of taxpayers' money.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Personally implicated

In 2001, reports alleged that a private investigator had been approached within Canadian Alliance circles to seek compromising information about Liberal officials. The affair contributed to a leadership crisis surrounding Day.

Attribution

Directly implicated

During the 2000 federal campaign, reports recalled statements attributed to Day suggesting that humans and dinosaurs had coexisted and that Earth was approximately 6,000 years old. The episode fuelled debate about the place of literalist religious beliefs in a candidate for Prime Minister.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Day campaigned on citizen-initiated referendums, often summarised by a threshold of 3% of voters. Opponents launched a satirical petition demanding that his first name be changed from Stockwell to Doris, which exceeded the symbolic threshold and ridiculed the proposal.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

During the campaign, Day used Niagara Falls as a metaphor for the brain drain to the United States but phrased his argument in a way that assumed the water flowed in the wrong geographical direction. The gaffe was widely mocked and reinforced the impression of a poorly prepared campaign.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

During the 2000 campaign, controversy arose over material attributed to the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum and a religious school with which Day had been associated. Critics alleged that teaching materials contained antisemitic passages or expressions hostile to Jewish people.

Attribution

Directly implicated