Liberal candidate calls early vaccine takers 'entitled guinea pigs'

A Liberal candidate in Calgary has apologized for tweets in which she used a profanity in reference to the people of Alberta, and also described those who rushed to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as "entitled" and "guinea pigs."

Jessica Dale-Walker is running in the federal election for the Liberals for Calgary-Nose Hill. Last November — on her personal Twitter account — Dale-Walker compared people willing to take the newly developed COVID-19 vaccines to lab animals.

"I chose to allow the entitled to flock for the vaccine like they demanded to be the guinea pigs, that way should there be problems those with brains were left behind," Dale-Walker tweeted in November 2020.

The Liberal Party has since issued an apology on Dale-Walker's behalf. Dale-Walker also apologized in a statement, calling the tweet "thoughtless and wrong."

In the statement, she said what's expressed in the tweets is "certainly not how I feel today."

"I want to be absolutely clear I am double vaccinated and I believe all Canadians, who can, should be. If my brash comments caused anyone to think otherwise, I apologize," the statement said.

"I am part of a team that believes in public health measures. Vaccines are our most effective tool to combat COVID-19, and I encourage everyone to get vaccinated."

Dale-Walker is running against Conservative incumbent Michelle Rempel Garner. She responded to Dale-Walker's tweets on her website Thursday night, urging Trudeau to condemn the comments, and "explain why this Alberta bashing is welcome in his party."

"At a time when the country should be coming together to fight the pandemic and focus on the economic recovery – once again the Liberals choose to divide Canadians and Albertans," Rempel Garner wrote.