Elizabeth May presents ‘9/11 truther’ petition to Parliament
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May put forward a bizarre petition in the House of Commons Wednesday asking the government to support a popular 9/11 conspiracy theory.
The member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands rose to “present a petition, from petitioners in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and particularly in the Ottawa area, calling on the Government of Canada to conduct a parliamentary review into the events that occurred in the United States on September 11.”
The New York City terrorist attack on the World Trade Center buildings on Sept. 11, 2001, is a popular target for conspiracy theorists who contend the attacks were carried out either with the knowledge of, or directly by, the U.S. government.
The petition asks the government to conduct a parliamentary review of the “omissions and inconsistencies” in the official 9/11 Commission Report, citing buildings falling at “nearly free-fall acceleration” and the presence of “nano-thermite composite incendiaries” in the debris of the buildings.
The petition says a review will “protect Canadians against future acts of state sponsored terrorism.”
Defending her actions on Twitter Thursday, May said she didn’t actually support the petition.
“I do not agree with petition,” she said. “It is an obligation of an MP to present every petition submitted to them.”
May’s party also put out a statement Thursday reaffirming its stance.
“The Green Party echoes Ms. May’s sentiments that it does not agree with the petition, but believes that no citizen should be denied the right to make their voice heard in Parliament.”
According to House of Commons procedure and practice, May wasn’t forced to present the petition. It is stated, however, that “many Members consider it a duty to present to the House petitions brought forward by citizens.”
“The Member, whose role it is to make the presentation on behalf of the petitioners, is not required to be in agreement with the content of any petition he or she may choose to present, and no such inference is to be drawn,” reads the section about presenting petitions.
Declining to present “9/11 truther” petitions isn’t unprecedented. In October 2012, a group called “ReThink911” said they presented a petition to NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar. According to the group’s website, Dewar refused to submit the petition to Parliament.
