Freeland Says Tory MP Is ‘Peddling Misinformation’ on Her Transportation Habits

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland rides away on her bicycle after grocery shopping in Toronto on April 3, 2023. Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland took to Twitter to accuse the Conservative Party’s deputy leader of spreading falsehoods about her transportation habits, a few days after saying she doesn’t need a car for her downtown Toronto living.

“Melissa, I am disappointed to see you peddling blatant misinformation,” Ms. Freeland said on Twitter on July 31 in responding to Tory Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman.

“I ride my bike to meetings in Toronto—because I live in the community I represent in the centre of this great city—and I take taxis to the airport.”

Ms. Lantsman had shared an article from Blacklock’s Reporter about Ms. Freeland’s use of a chauffeur.

“Who among us hasn’t ‘forgotten’ that they have a taxpayer funded car and driver when lecturing Canadians about walking, riding your bike and taking the subway as Liberals punish everyone by tripling their carbon tax? Hypocrites,” tweeted Ms. Lantsman.

The tussle between the two deputy leaders on social media relates to comments made by Ms. Freeland during her visit to Prince Edward Island on July 28.

The minister was there to announce the advance payment of the Canada Workers Benefit, a refundable tax credit, when she was challenged by reporters on Liberal policies that are driving up the cost of living.

Reporters remarked that P.E.I.’s economy depends on tourists driving there by car, and Liberal policies that increase the price of fuel are facing pushback from local politicians.

Ms. Freeland said she understands the challenges, which are different between small towns and big cities. She then said that being an MP from Toronto she doesn’t need a car.

“A fact that still shocks my dad is I don’t actually own a car,” she said, adding that her residence is around 300 metres from the nearest subway station.

“I walk, I take the subway and make my kids walk and ride their bikes and take the subway. It’s actually healthier for our family. I can live that way,” she said. “But I grew up in a small town in northern Alberta and I got my driver’s license the day I turned 16.”

On July 31, Blacklock’s Reporter cited expense records showing that Ms. Freeland used a chauffeured car 11 times in the past two years to attend events in Toronto. Data on travel by officials is disclosed on the Open Government portal.

The next day Blacklock’s revealed other records showing that Ms. Freeland’s chauffeur billed for 28 days worth of meals and other expenses, for activities such as supporting the “Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance with meetings and events” in Toronto.

Bike to Work

Other MPs joined in the Twitter dispute, with Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin posting a picture of herself and Ms. Freeland standing next to their bikes on the sidewalk.

Ms. Dabrusin says she has biked to work alongside Ms. Freeland. “Recently we rode together to get to the announcement about the grocery rebate,” she tweeted on July 31.

“The real world exists outside of your Twitter bubble, and out here…we are walking the walk and riding our bikes,” Ms. Dabrusin wrote to Ms. Lantsman.

Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett pointed to Blacklock’s having “kept receipts.”

“Just be honest,” he wrote in responding to Ms. Freeland. “Tell Canadians you’re raising taxes on them driving. And that you’re doing it from the backseat of your chauffeur driven taxpayer funded car.”

The Liberal government has stayed firm on such policies as the carbon tax, raising the price of fuel and other commodities which depend on transportation. New clean fuel regulations implemented recently will also increase fuel prices.

The government has instead chosen to provide handouts like the enhanced GST rebate rebranded as a “grocery rebate,” and says that Canadians receive more money back in rebates from the carbon tax.

“Public transit isn’t an option for many Canadians—driving is both necessary and often expensive,” Ms. Freeland said in response to Ms. Lantsman.

“That’s why we provided the Grocery Rebate to 11 million Canadians earlier this month, and last week delivered the Canada Workers Benefit to more than 4 million of our most essential workers. It’s why we made sure that Climate Action Incentive payments give more money back to 8 out of 10 Canadian families.”

The Parliamentary Budget Officer released a report in March showing that most households will suffer a net loss from the carbon tax, even after they receive the federal rebates.