A month before voters head to the polls, the Conservative party has issued an apology to the family of Port Coquitlam hometown hero Terry Fox for "politicizing" the national icon and the cancer-fighting campaign that bears his name.
The apology came the day after Laureen Harper, the wife of Tory leader and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, was in Port Moody Sunday to celebrate a pledge that, if her husband's party is reelected, it will match Canadian citizens' donations to the Terry Fox Foundation in honour of the 35th anniversary run.
The pledge was made by Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam MP James Moore, who is not running for re-election, with Port Moody-Coquitlam Tory candidate Tim Laidler at his side.
CBC also reported that Moore, when asked if the Fox family supported the announcement, said: “They’re aware of it… They’re enthusiastic and they think it’s great.”
And he urged other parties make the same commitment.
But while Tory supporters at Old Orchard Hall applauded Moore, whose mother died of cancer when he was 16, his party's promise soon soured with critics accusing the Conservatives of using the PoCo hometown hero's name to gain political points during the election campaign.
Reaction came swiftly from Bill Vigars, the former Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser who worked on Fox's Marathon of Hope, as well as Tri-City residents.
Late Monday, the Fox family issued a statement to the media, saying it had hoped all the federal parties would join in the cause to support cancer research.
"We need to clarify that we did not respond enthusiastically, suggesting the idea was great, as MP James Moore reported in yesterday's Conservative announcement promising to match The Terry Fox Foundation's fundraising efforts this year up to $35 million," Rolly, Fred, Darrell and Judi Fox stated.
"We will continue to make no public comments with respect to any federal party promises during the election campaign unless it is a unified all-party announcement."
Earlier Monday, a spokesperson for Moore told The Tri-City News the MP was speaking on behalf of his party and referred all comments to Tory spokesperson Megan Murdoch.
Murdoch then forwarded a letter from the Terry Fox Foundation, dated Aug. 31, to Stephen Harper asking him "to show your support of our vision for a Terry Fox-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centre Program" and to take part in a 35th anniversary run. The same letter also went out to the Liberals' Justlin Trudeau, Tom Mulcair of the NDP and Elizabeth May of the Green Party.
Murdoch also forwarded a statement from Britt Andersen, a Belcarra resident and the Fox Foundation's executive director, underlining the charity is non-partisan but "it welcomes new investment commitment in cancer research from any and all political parties."
Murdoch quickly apologized for the confusion, saying, "It was mistakenly assumed that the family was supportive of the funding requested and welcomed by the Terry Fox Foundation."
The Tories, she said, have a record of supporting cancer-related research programs.
Besides the Fox pledge, Moore also announced the Tories — if re-elected — would match the province's $12.5-million grant to establish the Canadian Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Centre in Vancouver and renew its commitment to the Canadian Partnership against Cancer.
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