OTTAWA – A new online video shows Conservative leadership candidate Kevin O’Leary firing automatic weapons, including a machine gun, during a visit to a gun range — a move one Liberal cabinet minister calls “dumb” and “insensitive.”
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale takes issue with the timing of the video, which emerged the same day as funeral services for three of the six victims of last weekend’s mosque shooting in Quebec City.
The short clip, posted on the video-sharing service Vimeo, shows O’Leary blazing away at paper targets with a number of firearms, including what looks like a heavy-calibre sniper rifle.
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O’Leary removed the post linking to the video from his Twitter feed later Thursday afternoon. It also vanished from his official Facebook page.
O’Leary is a businessman and star of the U.S. reality-TV show “Shark Tank” who has declared his candidacy for the leadership of the federal Conservative party.
He has said his business savvy will help turn around the economy and create jobs.
In Quebec City today, several thousand mourners including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid their respects to shooting victims Abdelkrim Hassane, Khaled Belkacemi and Aboubaker Thabti.
There were also prayers at the service for the three other victims — Azzeddine Soufiane, Mamadou Tanou Barry and Ibrahima Barry.
“I don’t comment on the strange and bizarre behaviour of Conservative leadership candidates,” said Goodale, who then characterized O’Leary’s timing as “obviously crass, insensitive and exceedingly dumb.”
-With files from Global News
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