What to know
- Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Toronto’s Cafe Belém alongside a local Liberal candidate, with the stop planned in advance by his team.
- Co-owner William Oliveira described the experience as smooth and professional, saying he felt “honoured” by the visit despite initial surprise.
- The cafe faced negative reactions online after sharing the visit, prompting them to turn off comments, but the owner says he would still welcome politicians from any party.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney paid a visit to a Toronto Portuguese cafe, and despite backlash, its owner says the visit was an honour.
Toronto’s Cafe Belém received one of its most dignified visitors yet on Monday, when Carney stopped by alongside Liberal candidate for University–Rosedale Danielle Martin.
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One of the cafe’s co-owners, William Oliveira, told Now Toronto that the visit was planned, as they received notice from the prime minister’s team that “he was potentially going to be passing by.”
“Honestly, I was a bit shocked at first, because it’s the prime minister, but then it makes you feel very honoured that you were selected, and it just feels very nice to be given that attention,” he said.
The owner says the visit was smooth, without too many surprises. The prime minister also did not try any of the cafe’s pastries during the visit, but said the owners “weren’t too offended,” as it might have been part of his safety protocols to avoid doing so.
Oliveira also said what impressed him the most about the visit was the professionalism from the prime minister’s team.
“They came in, they gave us notice, and everything went really well. Everyone was very professional. All in all, it was very smooth and it was a good time,” he said.
Although the visit seemed lighthearted and smooth, Oliveira said Cafe Belém has received some negative backlash online after sharing the moment on Instagram. According to him, some people have reached out to the business saying they were unhappy about them hosting a political figure.
The backlash has also led Cafe Belém to turn off the comments on their post to “keep [their] peace.”
Despite negative comments, Oliveira said he doesn’t regret receiving Carney’s, and said he’d be happy to welcome any political representatives or candidates at the cafe, regardless of what party they might represent.
“It is a little disheartening to see…it was definitely a lot more negative attention than I was expecting,” he said.
“It’s the same way we would have invited anybody of any political party, any representative of Canada, any candidate, we’d welcome [them] with open arms, and we’d invite them in, and we give them the best attitude we can. Because, at the end of the day, they’re part of the government, and we want to support them, and we want to be nice, and we want to be kind to anybody that comes in.”
