Canada’s Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations has come under fire after it emerged that she recently appeared in a series of workout videos titled Reconcili-ACTION.
The videos, reminiscent of the wildly popular ParticipACTION videos that aired on Canadian television in the past decade, feature the Minister leading workout routines based on reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
“And sorry, one, two, three, and shake hands, four, five, feel that remorse,” Bennett said in one of the videos.
Reaction from the opposition was swift.
“Look, no one is saying people shouldn’t benefit financially from reconciliation but that should remain the sole domain of lawyers, not politicians,” Conservative leader Andrew Scheer told reporters outside the House of Commons.
Bennett’s office issued a statement that suggests she was taken in by a shady businessman named Joseph “Diamond Joe” Maximillian, who told the Minister that all funds raised from the video would go towards “reconciliation efforts.”
However, an investigation by Walking Eagle News revealed that Reconciliation Efforts is actually the name of Diamond Joe’s $3.5-million Muskoka-area cottage.
A spokesperson from the federal Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commission said an investigation is underway.