Fight was about beating cancer, not political gain
Re: Politics Masquerading As Charity, Chris Selley, April 3. I am a staunch small-c conservative. The partisan in me wanted Patrick Brazeau to win, as conservatives loved the idea of seeing Justin Trudeau punched. But Chris Selley hit below the belt with this column, by accusing everyone (both conservatives and liberals) of using cancer as “pretext” for the boxing match — that is insulting on the highest plane.
Cancer is no laughing matter, no matter how obnoxious Sun News and host Ezra Levant were at the event on Saturday, which raised nearly a quarter million dollars for cancer research.
The real fight is against cancer, the disease that killed my Liberal father. Being former president and chair of the Toronto Men’s Health Network, I find it incredibly admirable that Mr. Trudeau invoked the memory of his late father, who died of prostate cancer, to propel a win. If Jack Layton were here, I think he would agree: This was a good cause. The boxing match was a truly unique way for Canadians to involve themselves in what would otherwise be a boring attempt by politicians to raise money. Yes, seeing MPS growing crazy mustaches is funny, but this event was unique for everyone involved. Surely if Messrs. Trudeau and Brazeau thought otherwise, they wouldn’t have lent star power to a match that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Can you recall a time when a fundraiser for an important cause received this kind of political support?
Cancer touches the lives of nearly every Canadian. I’m thrilled that this match did what it set out to do. Despite the annoying Mr. Levant, this event captivated Canadians’ attention. It worked.