Summer tour a good idea

If we're not going to have an election this spring, then I like what I’m reading in The Hill Times for a planned summer tour of the country by Stephane Dion. And not just because I was calling for him to do this last summer.

Also positive is not only is a high-profile Quebec Liberal MP being quoted on the record in the media saying positive things about Dion and the party, but that Pablo Rodriguez and Denis Coderre are planning to role their sleeves up themselves this summer and blitz all 75 Quebec ridings on behalf of the part.

"He will be touring but a lot of us will be touring also. For Mr. Dion, it's a great opportunity to get better known. He's a man, the more you know him, the more you like him. So, being close to the people and having a chance to talk directly with Canadians will be very good," said Mr. Rodriguez.

"[The purpose of this tour is] Making sure that Canadians understand what we stand for and this is very very important for us. We have to communicate our message a little bit better and explain the key differences between us and the Conservatives on the environment on social issues."

This is the kind of on the ground grunt work we need to be doing to grow our support in the polls. That, and bringing down this government at some point soonish.

And on a lighter note, get a hold of this laugher from Conservative MP Mike Wallace:

"We have a great record to be running on in the next election. There's not one of our top five promises that they could point to that we did not move on. And on the ethics issue, in my public meeting, not one question on those issues. We have been running a solid clean proactive government since we were elected in January 2006," said Mr. Wallace.

Yeah Mike, and I’m starting at small forward next season for the Toronto Raptors.

I recognize the need to tow the party line in public, but how can people say crap like that without busting out laughing hysterically?

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers

Cons digging themselves a hole

With the parliamentary ethics committee too busy investigating things embarrassing to the Conservatives, CPC MP Dean Del Mastro is trying desperately to get more mileage out of this ridiculous CBC question gate non-scandal.

In brief, the Cons were upset a CBC reporter shared some questions she had for Brian Mulroney with Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez. Since Mulroney wasn’t returning the CBC’s calls, and since Rodriguez agreed they were pretty important questions, he put them to Mulroney during his not under oath testimony before the ethics committee.

This sent the Cons into conniptions, and they managed to get their pound of flesh when the CBC apologized, and re-assigned the reporter in question. You’d think they’d quite while they’re ahead.

But that’s not enough for our Dean though:

The governing Conservatives want to haul Liberal MP Pablo Rodriguez before the House Ethics Committee to apologize and to "admit that he lied" when he asked planted questions sent from a CBC reporter in the sensational Mulroney-Schreiber House Ethics Committee probe and they also want to hear from CTV NewsNet´s Mike Duffy host of Mike Duffy Live on the same issue.

After the CBC admitted that its reporter, Krista Erickson, provided questions to Mr. Rodriguez (Honoré-Mercier, Que.) when he questioned former prime minister Brian Mulroney in December, Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro (Peterborough, Ont.) introduced a motion at the committee last week to call Mr. Rodriguez as a witness in order for him to "admit that he lied."

Myself, I’d like Stephen Harper to apologize for calling Liberals Taliban sympathizers, linking a Liberal MP to terrorism, insinuating ethnicity had something to do questioning on the Dimitri Soudas affair, and a long list of far more serious transgressions than sharing questions. But that's just me.

I’m reminded though of what the Conservatives warned when the opposition first called for an inquiry into the recent Mulroney allegations, a call the Cons initially resisted. Harper warned the Liberals should be careful, because if they insisted on going down that road, lots of bad stuff they’d done in a similar vein could be dragged out.

Perhaps Mr. Del Mastro should heed his leader’s own advice. The fact is, the media sharing questions and research with opposition MPs, and vice versa, is common and standard practice on the hill, and has been forever. By all parties. But don’t take my word for it:

Ottawa Sun columnist Greg Weston, who was on Mike Duffy Live when Mr. Duffy received the message, said if the Conservatives want to call Mr. Rodriguez, they should also call "every single Conservative MP who sat in opposition" because they did the same thing. "This is a daily thing," Mr. Weston said. "This is the most trumped up, ridiculous pandering to the Conservative core who believe that the CBC is part of the enemy and now it´s been proven we´re part of the enemy too. Well, as you always know, if there are two lists, I want to be on the black one."

So sure Dean, let’s investigate the sharing of information between opposition and the media. Let’s call all every National Post reporter that wrote about Shawinigate. Let’s call all the former Canadian Alliance MPs they worked hand it hand with on that, and umpteen other stories, over the years in a futile anti-Liberal vendetta. Why not, I’ll be fun.

Or maybe we can just have a laugh at this transparent and pathetic attempt to divert attention from the serious work the committee is doing. Former Mulroney chief of staff Norman Spector is due to testify this week. Rumour has it he’ll have some interesting information to share. It must be, if Warren is mentioning him without referencing him as a former tobacco lobbyist.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers