MLA rephrases himself after suggesting driver in crash may be foreigner, eligible for deportation
After 'thoughtful feedback,' Manitoba MLA Josh Guenter says he never meant to target individuals through post
A Manitoba MLA is expressing regret after drawing parallels between the 25-year-old driver in a fatal highway crash and "cheap foreign" labour in the trucking industry, who he said in this instance should be deported if not a Canadian citizen.
In a Facebook post Saturday, Josh Guenter, the Progressive Conservative member representing Borderland, appeared to make assumptions about the ethnicity, citizenship and work experience of the semi-trailer driver in a crash west of Altona the night before.
RCMP have only publicly revealed the driver is a 25-year-old, residing in Brampton, Ont.
It isn't known if Guenter was privy to additional information about the driver, who police have yet to charge. Guenter declined an interview request from CBC News and instead referred to his updated Facebook post.
Police say the semi driver was travelling eastbound on Highway 201 when he failed to stop at the intersection with Highway 306, hitting the southbound SUV.
Sara Unger, 35, and her daughter Alexa Unger, 8, were heading home from the grocery store in that SUV last Friday evening when they were hit. They both died.
RCMP say charges against the driver are "anticipated."
An hour after police reported the tragedy last Saturday, Guenter opened his Facebook post by expressing heartbreak for the family.
Guenter then turned his attention to the semi driver, saying he's "outraged" at his "callous disregard for human life." He singled out the man's residency by putting "Brampton, Ontario" in quotation marks. The city is a hot spot for trucking companies and one of the most ethnically diverse in the country.
I "hope that he faces the full brunt of the law, and that if he is not a Canadian citizen, that he is deported," Guenter wrote.
"We need a crackdown on cheap foreign labour in the trucking industry, and especially [at] truck driving schools," added Guenter, who was a truck driver before being elected as a MLA in 2019 at the age of 25.
Tying tragedy to Humboldt crash
Guenter proceeded to call the tragedy a "repeat" of the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash in Saskatchewan, in which the semi driver received an order to be deported.
The MLA also brought up an incident he witnessed last fall when a "foreign truck driver" failed to stop for a school bus.
"Absolutely outrageous," Guenter said of the alleged similarities. "Send them back!"
While some Facebook respondents expressed support for Guenter's remarks, with one saying he was "speaking the truth" and another stating he was "expressing what a lot of us are feeling," others accused him of sprouting racism and drumming up "fear and distrust."
Lori Dueck, who lives outside Altona, was one critic.
"My initial reaction was that in the wake of a tragedy, it seemed like his response lacked love and compassion," she said, expressing Guenter has a responsibility as an elected official to advocate for better safety infrastructure and laws, rather than casting blame.
"The words that just stick with me, which was so disgusting: 'send them back,'" she said, referring to the MLA's initial post.
"It seems like his intent was, in fact, to further a racist agenda and surprisingly an anti-immigrant agenda, considering that our constituency is made of so many immigrants."
By Monday afternoon, Guenter took to Facebook to say he's heard "thoughtful feedback" and he's reflected on how his post was being received.
"My intention was never to target individuals, but to focus our attention on the serious issue of road safety in our community and accountability to prevent tragedies like these," he said.
"There is no doubt that we need to address driver training and dangerous behaviour on our roads, but for now, we will keep the family and the driver in our prayers during this difficult time."
He added our hearts go out to the driver, who will "carry the weight of this devastating incident for the rest of their life."
Dueck said she believes Guenter was intentionally targeting the driver in his initial post, given the MLA singled out the driver's city and called for his deportation if he isn't a Canadian citizen.
Focus on safety instead
Janna Wiebe, a resident of Gretna, Man., who also disapproved of Guenter's original message, said the MLA's commentary appeared to come out of nowhere.
"I just thought it was such an inappropriate and disappointing response to a really tragic accident that happened," Wiebe said in an interview, before Guenter's follow-up post on Monday.
She said she'd prefer if he focused on making safety improvements to the intersection. She personally wants traffic lights installed.
"I call that the 'let go and let God' corner because I have my heart in my throat every time I drive" either north-south or east-west on that intersection.
"I have seen cars blast through without stopping at the stop sign. I've seen semis blast through without stopping."
Don Wiebe, reeve of the RM of Rhineland, said he anticipates safety improvements will come up at their next council meeting on Wednesday.
It's one of the issues community members brought up to him, along with people who were also puzzled by Guenter's initial Facebook post. He said he trusts Guenter has learned to rephrase his messaging so as not to be seen as targeting immigrants.
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