Steelworkers boss fires back at Christy Clark's 'most corporate government in North America'
Leo Gerard claims Clark spreading falsehoods about his appearance with U.S. President Donald Trump
After finding himself in the crosshairs of Christy Clark's election speeches this past week United Steelworkers International President Leo Gerard is firing back, accusing the B.C. Liberal leader of lying.
"Clark is attacking our union and me personally, because she wants to distract from the fact that the B.C. Liberals have been the most corporate government in North America," wrote Gerard in an open letter to B.C. steelworkers.
Clark has called out Gerard for appearing beside Donald Trump when the U.S. President signed an executive memorandum on the investigation of steel imports.
"His biggest financial backers are the union bosses of the United Steelworkers in Pittsburgh who put American jobs ahead of B.C. jobs. And now we know that the guys in Pittsburgh who stand with Donald Trump are paying directly the salaries of the B.C. NDP's top campaign officials," she said earlier this week at an appearance in Delta.
But Gerard, who is Canadian, says Clark doesn't have her facts straight.
"B.C. Liberal leader Christy Clark has falsely claimed that my meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump was about softwood lumber — she made that up — in fact it was about protecting our members' jobs in the steel industry in both the U.S. and in Canada," he said.
The B.C. Liberals have criticized the NDP because the steelworkers union covers the salaries of three NDP senior campaign staff and has donated to the party.
The B.C. NDP has criticized the Liberals for accepting millions of dollars from corporate donors and for holding cash-for-access fund raisers.