Close X
    Wednesday, November 27, 2024
    ADVT 
    National

    WATCH: Don Cherry Sparks Online Backlash For Anti-Immigrant Comments On Remembrance Day. Canadians Outraged, Sportsnet Apologizes

    Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 11 Nov, 2019 02:09 AM

      Sportsnet apologized Sunday for hockey commentator Don Cherry's televised rant about his belief that new immigrants don't wear poppies, and in turn don't support veterans -- comments that sparked a swift backlash from the public, politicians and the NHL.

       

      The station's apology was echoed by "Coach's Corner" co-host Ron MacLean in a segment that aired at the beginning of a Sunday evening broadcast, saying Cherry's remarks don't represent his own views or those of parent company Rogers Media.

       

      "Don's discriminatory comments are offensive and they do not represent our values and what we stand for as a network," Sportsnet President Bart Yabsley said in a statement earlier Sunday. "We have spoken with Don about the severity of this issue and we sincerely apologize for these divisive remarks."

       
       

      MacLean also shouldered some of the responsibility in his statement.

       

      "Don Cherry made remarks which were hurtful, discriminatory, which were flat out wrong ... I owe you an apology, too. I sat there, did not catch it, did not respond," MacLean said.

       
       

      "Last night was a really great lesson to Don and me. We were wrong, and I sincerely apologize. I wanted to thank you for calling me and Don on that last night."

       
       

      A spokesman for Sportsnet declined to comment on why Cherry himself didn't make the apology.

       

      Cherry, 85, seemingly singled out new immigrants in Toronto and Mississauga, Ont., where he lives, for not honouring Canada's veterans and dead soldiers during his weekly Coach's Corner segment on Hockey Night in Canada.

       
       

      "You people ... you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that," Cherry said.

       

      "These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price."

       

      Cherry did not respond to multiple phone calls seeking comment.

       
       
       

      The National Hockey League said in a statement that Cherry's remarks were "offensive and contrary to the values we believe in."

       
       

      Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie called his comments "despicable."

       

      "We're proud of diverse cultural heritage and we'll always stand up for it," she said on Twitter. "New immigrants enrich our country for the better. We're all Canadians and wear our poppies proudly."

       
       

      Toronto Mayor John Tory implored Cherry to come to Old City Hall on Remembrance Day to "see thousands of Canadians of all ages, nationalities, faiths and backgrounds" who honour veterans.

       

      "Don Cherry is way off base to question the devotion of newer Canadians to the very same veterans and the sacrifices we will honour tomorrow on Remembrance Day," Tory said in a statement.

       
       

      "His comments are unfair and just plain wrong."

       

      Former Liberal MP Bob Rae also weighed in.

       

      "Cherry's remarks were ignorant and prejudiced, and at this point in our history can't go without comment."

       
       

      Outrage was building online on Sunday with many on Twitter calling for Cherry to be fired.

       

      Yet hundreds of social media users supported Cherry's comments. Some said they wanted more people to wear poppies, while others pointed fingers at immigrants.

       
       

      Rumours circulated about the possibility of Cherry being cut from Coach's Corner earlier this year after a Toronto Sun columnist wrote that his return to the show had not been confirmed by the summer.

       

      Cherry said at the time that he was not retiring from the decades-old show yet.

       

      Hockey Night in Canada used to be a long-time CBC Saturday night staple. The show and its games moved to Sportsnet when Rogers landed a 12-year, $5.2 billion national broadcast rights deal with the NHL that began in 2014.

       

      The show is still broadcast on CBC in a sub-licensing deal with Rogers Media, which owns Sportsnet. But the show is run by Sportsnet and filmed in its studio in the CBC building in Toronto.

       
       

      "As Rogers Sportsnet is the national rights holder for NHL Hockey in Canada, CBC has no purview over any editorial (choice of commentators or what they say) with respect to Hockey Night in Canada," CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson said in an email.

       
       
       
      Prev Next

      MORE National ARTICLES

      Defence Says Accused In Calgary Caseworker Death Needs Mental Assessment

      Defence Says Accused In Calgary Caseworker Death Needs Mental Assessment
      A young Calgary man charged with killing his caseworker at an assisted-living home remains in custody and is to see a psychiatrist next week.

      Defence Says Accused In Calgary Caseworker Death Needs Mental Assessment

      Wind, Rain Knock Out Power To More Than 900,000 Customers Across Quebec

      Wind, Rain Knock Out Power To More Than 900,000 Customers Across Quebec
      MONTREAL - Quebec's hydro utility says more than 900,000 of its customers are without power following a weather system that brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow across the province.

      Wind, Rain Knock Out Power To More Than 900,000 Customers Across Quebec

      Pharmacist From London, Ont., Admits Misconduct For Naloxone Distribution

      Pharmacist From London, Ont., Admits Misconduct For Naloxone Distribution
      TORONTO - A pharmacist who went door-to-door handing out naloxone kits in a neighbourhood ravaged by opioid use choked back tears on Friday as he admitted to professional misconduct.    

      Pharmacist From London, Ont., Admits Misconduct For Naloxone Distribution

      Three-Year-Old Boy Stabbed In Winnipeg To Be Taken Off Life Support

      Three-Year-Old Boy Stabbed In Winnipeg To Be Taken Off Life Support
      WINNIPEG - A three-year-old boy who was stabbed multiple times while he slept in his bed was to be taken off life support on Friday.

      Three-Year-Old Boy Stabbed In Winnipeg To Be Taken Off Life Support

      Cut Emissions Twice As Fast, Ease Worker Anxiety, Advocates Say Post-election

      Cut Emissions Twice As Fast, Ease Worker Anxiety, Advocates Say Post-election
      Climate Action Network Canada, along with representatives from Unifor, Leadnow, Greenpeace and 350.org

      Cut Emissions Twice As Fast, Ease Worker Anxiety, Advocates Say Post-election

      Meng's Lawyers Still Say RCMP Shared Phone Details With FBI Despite Affidavits

      Lawyers for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou maintain there is an "air of reality" to an allegation the RCMP illegally shared details of her electronic devices with the Federal Bureau of Investigation despite new affidavits from Mounties denying the claim.

      Meng's Lawyers Still Say RCMP Shared Phone Details With FBI Despite Affidavits

      PrevNext