Liberal MP tweets fake news announcing $3 billion dollar coronavirus fund for bees

"I tweeted this morning that PM announced the Canadian Emergency Apiary Benefit that will provide $3 billion in funding to bee farms in need," Sangha later tweeted. "I offer my sincere regrets for sharing this information that turned out not to be true."

Sagha, a city lawyer, is not known for bee advocacy, and did not mention where he got this inaccurate information.

During questioning in Commons yesterday, Agriculture Minister Marie-Clause Bibeau said that this purported apiary benefit is non-existent. Of the supposed Canadian Emergency Apiary Benefit, Bibeau said "We know how the bee sector is important for our agriculture. I can assure you we are working closely with them, but there is no announcement to make."

Conservative MP Brad Vis, of Mission-Matsqui, BC, said "I guess the member from Brampton Centre was wrong. Yesterday the member for Brampton Centre tweeted and then deleted an announcement of $3 billion for bee farms."

Vis went on to say that "Everyone knows bees are crucial for our ecosystem and our agriculture sector, especially in my riding with a large concentration of Canada's blueberry farms. However, it is inappropriate and certainly not a Team Canada approach for a Liberal MP to have access to information that is denied me and other members of Parliament.

The Canadian Emergency Apiary Benefit would have joined the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program, Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, Canada Emergency Business Account, Canada Emergency Response Benefit, Canada Emergency Student Benefit programs, which have put this year's deficit at $184.2 billion, per the Parliamentary Budget Office. This is the highest deficit in Canadian history. The previous high bar was $55.6 billion, set a decade ago.

The Canadian Emergency Apiary Benefit would have increased the current deficit to $187.2 billion.