Pierre Poilievre tight-lipped on colleague’s controversial photo-op

There has been no comment so far from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who may be facing another controversy over sexual orientation and gender identity.

This comes after a photo of one of the leader’s opposition critics — a Calgary MP — was pictured with two men wearing shirts bearing messages opposing education on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.

Calgary-Forest Lawn MP Jasraj Singh Hallan, was at the Calgary Stampede last week, when he was photographed with two men wearing shirts depicting a family being sheltered from the rainbow associated with LGBTQ+ pride flags, followed by the words, ‘Leave our kids alone.’

One of the men in the photo, Mahmoud Mourra, is facing a charge of hate-motivated criminal harassment, which Calgary police say stems from online activity that happened in June.

In an interview with the Canadian Press, Mourra called the charge against him “a joke,” saying it was related to a dispute with someone he knows.

So far, neither Hallan nor Poilievre have commented on the photo.

Not long ago, Poilievre distanced himself from a photo taken of him at the Stampede, where he was pictured next to a man wearing a ‘straight pride’ shirt.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was also photographed with the man wearing that shirt.

When asked for comment on the incident, her office said she doesn’t endorse the message shown on the shirt.

-With files from The Canadian Press and Darren Rathwell