Article content

It must have seemed like good old common sense at the time, but Wildrose Opposition leader Danielle Smith has been forced into a U-turn today after suggesting tainted meat from Alberta’s E. coli scandal could be used to feed the hungry.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Danielle Smith's 'feed tainted meat to the hungry tweet' forces quick U-turn from Wildrose leader Back to video

Admitting Monday it was a mistake for her to tweet that properly cooked tainted meat could feed the homeless, Smith told an open line radio show that if you can’t explain your position in 140 words on Twitter, you shouldn’t try.

On the weekend, Smith went on Twitter to suggest meat that had to be recalled by XL Foods in Brooks, Alta., could be cooked thoroughly to destroy E. coli bacteria and then fed to people in need of a good meal.

That prompted an storm of backlash on Twitter and a predictable response from Smith’s political foes. NDP leader Brian Mason suggested the Wildrose leader had so little regard for Albertans in poverty she’s OK with feeding them tainted meat.