Habs star Carey Price says he was aware of Polytechnique shooting, despite previous comments
Montreal Canadiens star goalie Carey Price reversed course and said he did in fact know about the 1989 Polytechnique shooting spree that killed 14 women in Montreal despite previous comments from Groupe CH that he didn't.
He also apologized to those that may have been upset by his comments made on Instagram against the proposed federal gun legislation.
"Despite a previous statement released, I did in fact know about the tragedy," Price wrote in an Instagram story.
"I have been a member of the MTL community for 15 years and I understand the weight this day holds within the community."
Dec. 6 is the anniversary of the mass killing and there are events throughout Montreal commemorating the day and honouring the victims.
Price said his "heart and prayers" are with the families of the victims, and regrets the timing of the amendment to Bill C-21.
"I acknowledge that amplifying any conversation around guns this week may have upset some of those impacted most by the events here in 1989 and to them I apologize," he said.
Price's post on Instagram came after many gun-control advocates were incensed at the national gun rights organization, the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR), use of the tragedy to sell merchandise on its website with the promo code "POLY."
Price said he didn't agree with the gun group's promo-code.
The Canadiens tweeted Monday before the team's game against the Vancouver Canucks a response to Price's comments that he didn't know about the mass shooting.
"The Montreal Canadiens wish to express their sincere apology to any and all who have been offended or upset by discourse that has arisen over this matter in recent days," the Habs said.
The Canadiens added that they made a donation to the Week of the White Rose campaign to send underprivileged girls to Polytechnique's summer science camp.
REACTIONS FROM QUEBEC POLITICIANS
The leaders of Quebec's political parties shared their reactions to the Price controversy Tuesday, including the interim Liberal Leader, Marc Tanguay, who said the goalie showed "poor" judgment with his online post.
The timing of it, he said, was also in poor taste, he told a press scrum Tuesday at the national assembly.
The co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire (QS) went further in her condemnation of Price.
"When you support an organization that uses a hashtag of the greatest femicide drama that Quebec has known in its history, I find it really inappropriate, indecent," said Manon Massé.
"Let's stop trivializing violence, let's stop protecting people, let's stop hiding the fact that misogyny, violence against women, femicides have common roots," she said, adding that she as "very disappointed by this."
Quebec Solidaire member Manon Masse questions the government, Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Francis Vachon
Massé said the controversy is another reminder of why the annual commemoration of the attack is necessary.
Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon was less critical of the hockey player Tuesday, calling on people to "leave Carey Price alone" and to focus on the groups that have used him.
"The time we spend criticizing Carey Price, whose job ... is to stop pucks, we aren't spending it to criticize groups that have probably manipulated a hockey player by not giving him all the information," he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.