Conservative candidate John Weston, who ran the Terry Fox run in West Vancouver with Laureen Harper, the wife of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on Sunday, said he doesn’t think an announcement linking support for the Terry Fox Run to the outcome of the federal election means the event is being used for political gain.
“I think it’s fully appropriate to support the Terry Fox Foundation,” said Weston. But he said if one party is making a specific promise, “it can’t happen unless the party that’s proposing it gets elected.”
Weston was responding to questions this week in the wake of a controversy that blew up after the Terry Fox Foundation and members of the Fox family appeared to distance themselves from a promise by the Conservatives to help the charity if they are re-elected.
Party spokesman James Moore announced Sunday the Tories would match donations raised during this year’s Terry Fox Run, up to $35 million, if they win the election. With Laureen Harper by his side, Moore challenged other parties to “double down on our commitment” to the Fox foundation, adding “But it’s a commitment that will for sure be met by Stephen Harper should he be elected.”
Moore added the Fox family thought the announcement was “great” and were “enthusiastic” about it.
But the family, which has been adamant in its non-partisan stance, later issued a statement saying “we did not respond enthusiastically suggesting the idea was great as MP James Moore reported in yesterday’s Conservative announcement…”
The family added “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.”
The Terry Fox Foundation also issued a statement with a reminder of the foundation’s “non-partisan” status.
Weston said Laureen Harper’s participation in the West Vancouver run on Sunday wasn’t politically motivated. He said while he invited people to take part in the run, he didn’t tell them Harper would be there. “I thought that might politicize a non-political event,” he said.
Both Weston and Harper did the 35th West Vancouver Terry Fox Run along the seawall in the pouring rain, with about a dozen others.
The foundation has set a goal of raising $35 million this year, to mark the 35th anniversary of the run.
Weston has taken part in a number of previous Terry Fox Runs and also spearheaded efforts to bring the run back to Taiwan in 2014.
