Well, I guess we know where Conservative Rob Anders still stands.
Last night, I asked the Calgary West MP for his reaction to Nelson Mandela‘s passing.
I asked him because, despite the tributes from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and pretty much every other politician in the world, Anders, in the past, has not been on side with the former South African president.
In fact, he was the sole dissenter to making Mandela an honourary Canadian citizen in 2001, calling him a Communist and a terrorist.
Had his position softened?
On Thursday, shortly after Mandela died, Anders wrote me back. “I wish South Africa peace,” he said.
But this afternoon he emailed to say: “You may be interested in the obituary that David Horowitz has put together on Mandela for the Freedom Centre.”
I Googled “David Horowitz Freedom Centre,” and found this link: http://www.horowitzfreedomcenter.org/nelson_mandela_1918_2013
The obituary begins, “Mandela began as a terrorist and never turned his back on monsters like Arafat and Castro, whom he considered brothers in arms,” and goes on from there.
The Freedom Centre is based in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and defines itself as combating “the efforts of the radical left and its Islamist allies to destroy American values and disarm this country as it attempts to defend itself in a time of terror.”
I asked Anders if he wanted to talk, and further explain his position.
But he just wrote back, “I have previously provided my thoughts on Nelson Mandela.
“I will let history be the judge.”
UPDATE:
Here is the prime minister’s spokesman, Jason MacDonald’s reaction:
The Prime Minister’s view, which he made clear last night in his statement and which he delivered on behalf of the Government of Canada is that with the death of Nelson Mandela, the world has lost one of its great moral leaders and statesmen.
He has left an enduring legacy, and has acted with grace, humility and tremendous magnanimity. In that regard he is a model for all of us.
Many turned to Twitter to share their reaction:
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