Battlefords-Lloydminster MP Rosemarie Falk is feeling the heat from social media to her high-five reaction to a vote in the House of Commons last Wednesday.
The vote was on third reading of Bill C-262, an act to ensure the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Falk was one of the MPs who voted against the bill in the Commons. As she stood to vote, she shared a high five with fellow Conservative MP Dane Lloyd of Alberta.
Video of the vote made the rounds on Twitter, with social media users condemning Falk’s reaction and accusing her of disrespect.
Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde issued a statement condemning the reaction of both MPs.
“The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples sets out the basic minimum framework for implementing Indigenous rights as human rights globally. It has been adopted by some 147 nation states of the UN General Assembly and fully endorsed by Canada. For two elected Members of Parliament — elected representatives of the Canadian people — to behave so disrespectfully on a matter of basic human rights is absolutely beyond the pale.”
APTN has reported that Falk issued a statement in which she said the high five was “in response to the conclusion of nearly an hour of voting in the House of Commons, and not the specific vote in question.”
