Questions have been raised about a candidate running in the Montreal election, after distasteful media posts were uncovered on both her personal – and professional – pages.
Caroline Orchard is running to become a councillor for Coalition Montreal in the N.D.G. district. Described as a community activist, Orchard and her husband also run an organization called Le Grand Pas, that seeks to provide First Nations people with the skills necessary to enter the job market.
A year ago, before Orchard announced her run for councillor, Le Grand Pas, or “The Big Step,” was profiled by CTV Montreal.
More recently, CTV was made aware of a number of anti-feminist rantings on Orchard’s personal and business pages – some of them, vulgar.
On her personal Facebook account, Orchard claims that she hates radical feminists, speaks against the women’s march against the election of Donald Trump, and in one post says she’s upset by women trying to change the term “rape.”
In unsubtle terms, Orchard asserts there’s a difference between a woman who gets drunk and assaulted, and someone who get violently raped.
Another target: feminists who try to convince themselves that obesity is beautiful: “Something to make you vomit,” she posted.
In another post, Orchard openly criticizes plus-sized model Tess Holliday, calling her “a fat idiot who [teaches] women to be fat blobs.” She refers to Madonna as a “feminist terrorist who threatened to blow the white house.”
When CTV Montreal reached out to Orchard herself, she didn’t make an official statement—but said in a message that “everything from the past is irrelevant to my future work.”
Coalition Montreal leader Marvin Rotrand said that he had interviewed Orchard before choosing her as a running mate, but that he had not personally seen her social media accounts.
He describes Orchard as a working-class woman with “conservative” views. Rotrand said he has since spoken with her, and that she apologizes if anyone finds her posts offensive.
"She says everyone has a social media history and she regrets any remarks she may have made in haste or in anger that may be seen as offensive or poorly expressed," Rotrand said in a written statement.
Rotrand explained that several people, possibly ten, have access to the business page for Le Grand Pas, and that it’s possible not all questionable posts were put up by Orchard herself.
He said that Orchard has not been an administrator on the page for some time. She took a leave of absence from Le Grand Pas several moths ago, Rotrand explained.
Rotrand added that the party believes that Orchard is being “trolled” by the opposition, Projet Montreal.
He alleges that several of Orchard’s election posters have been vandalized or have disappeared altogether, and that certain candidates may be playing dirty ahead of the municipal election November 5.
"Her non-conventional, populist style appeals to many, and her campaign, which is her first entry into politics, is having notable success," Rotrand said. "We at Coalition Montreal have seen an evolution in her expression and will stand by her despite her rough edges."
