1/ There is a massacre somewhere in the world every week, some reported on and most ignored.

I decided almost 2 years ago to stop commenting on only the tragedies abroad that make headlines in Canada.

I condemn ALL violence against innocents, from WHICHEVER side.

2/ We’ve now come to a point where some journalists want to assess politicians’ fitness for office on the basis of the timing and precise wording of tweets sent after some of these foreign tragedies.

This is absurd.

I won’t play this game.

3/ I won’t utter platitudes about situations over which I have zero influence, nor send my “thoughts and prayers” to people abroad who have never heard of me, just to score political points.

My job is to focus on Canada and serve Canadians.