The PM’s avowal that he didn’t want a spring election, while the hounds of the CPC and Ottawa media were crying for one, demonstrated his control over his MPs and party apparatus. He is the boss. Was it Stephen Harper sticking to plan or the PM knowing that his government was about to disassemble? Only 14 days ago, some polls suggested CPC support was nearing the magic 40% thought to be indicative of majority government potential. Now the government is at 30% in polls taken before this week’s disastrous performance in the defence and environmental portfolios. Imagine if this had happened during a campaign.
Once legendary for attention to detail and control, this week the government has looked like nothing so much as a bunch of Keystone Kops improvising on the run as each successive avowal and denial is reversed. The defence issue is serious. Canadian Forces, as part of a NATO contingent, are in Afghanistan to assist in building a democratic society and that includes leading by example. Example includes neither participating in or permitting the inhumane treatment of prisoners. Unfortunately, they have been constrained b a requirement to hand-over prisoners to the Afghani authorities without follow-up access to ensure their human treatment. Other nations have been more careful to ensure their NATO forces retain access to prisoners.
When rumours of inhumane treatment of prisoners began to emerge, the defence minister insisted the international Red Cross was monitoring their treatment. He was caught-out in this lie. The Red Cross was not involved So he changed his story to insist the Afghani human rights commission was doing the job. Amidst call for his resignation, the PM stands by his defence minister and everyone goes on an extended Parliamentary break.
The The Globe and Mail breaks the story that the Afghani human rights commission acknowledges prisoners are being tortured and it can’t do anything to stop it since it doesn’t have the necessary access to the prisons. The PM respond that appropriate arrangements are in place even if it doesn’t really matter since it’s OK to abuse the prisoners, since they are Tailban and Tailban sympathisers everyone arrested/taken prisoner is guilty just as in the CPC’s reverence of Canadian police) and therefor guilty. Never mind the leading-by-example principle.
When that argument doesn’t play well in Parliament or with Canadians, the defence ministry changes his story and says a new agreement has been negotiated to allow Canadian Forces personnel to monitor prisoners. But he forgets to tell the Chief of Defence who denies any new agreement – for a few hours until he changes his story and says, yes, there is a new agreement. This holds overnight until the PM insists in Parliament that neither is there a new agreement or a need for one since the government has no knowledge of prisoners being abused expect speculative reports in the media.
Oops. the Globe publishes a copy of a heavily censored report to government in which the government is informed proposer abuse is well established and ongoing. The report, obtained under Access to Information law is mostly black-out by the government but the Globe somehow has access to the original and knows the full content (moles inside government – shades of Watergate). Now the PM who is so in charge says lawyers and bureaucrats censored the report, ministers and prime ministers would never get involved in such things. Pinocchio’s nose grows. And the PM continues to deny there is a problem.
Expect up leaps the Public Safety minister to announce that prison conditions are being monitored by personnel on loan from Corrections Canada to teach the Afghanis how we operate prisons in a democratic society. With no disrespect directed to the lone young female corrections officer assigned to Afghanistan, Canadians can judge for themselves how much influence she must have in the medieval conditions that are an Afghan prison. Stockwell Day might better stick to explaining evolution to Alberta school children touring dinosaur park.
And back to the defence minister - well he has been glued to his chair in the House of Commons and muzzled to ensure he doesn’t continue to contradict his boss and the Chief of Defence. And the foreign affairs minister who, one might think, would be involved in any agreements with Afghanistan is missing in action or waiting for Condoleezza Rice to call.
The troubles of the government don’t end with the Afghanistan debacle. This was supposed to be the week the government revealed its environmental policy answer to combat global warming. Oops - Johnny Baird messed up big time on that one too. Faxed his “major policy speech” to the Official Opposition two days before it was to be released. Better call them and threaten they will be breaking securities laws if they leak the speech. Oops - bad idea - better deny is it the major policy speech. Oh well it doesn’t really matter since the speech is a dud anyway since there is no plan to do anything measurable during this government’s life expectancy. Just make the speech in Toronto, far removed from the snoopy Ottawa press corps, in a “secure” setting where environmental critics and “green” lobbyists can be kept at bay, far from any reporters allowed to hear the minister’s words.
Oh, and there is even a “Tory sponsorship scandal” brewing. Heritage minister Bev Oda has $30 million to give away in grants to support Canadian culture, but she has only invited Conservative Party MPs to submit suggestion on how to spend the money. And Canadians only thought Liberals could get up to such chicanery. Did the government notice 57% of Canadians oppose its announced extension of the gun registry amnesty?
Ten days ago, the story of the day was the PM’s image consultant, the clairvoyant hired to ensure his ties match his suits and shirts and that every hair in in place. Amusing, but not the sort of thing that seriously undermines public confidence in a PM. This week is very different.
The in-control PM is improvising on the run to cover-up his ministers’ fabricated stories while over 61% of Canadians tell pollsters the price being paid by Canadian troops in Afghanistan is too high. His environment minister reveals there is no plan to deal with the problem Canadians identify as their first priority. A majority of Canadians are opposed to his public safety agenda and petty scandal is brewing.
It’s been a good week to be Leader of the Opposition.
Once legendary for attention to detail and control, this week the government has looked like nothing so much as a bunch of Keystone Kops improvising on the run as each successive avowal and denial is reversed. The defence issue is serious. Canadian Forces, as part of a NATO contingent, are in Afghanistan to assist in building a democratic society and that includes leading by example. Example includes neither participating in or permitting the inhumane treatment of prisoners. Unfortunately, they have been constrained b a requirement to hand-over prisoners to the Afghani authorities without follow-up access to ensure their human treatment. Other nations have been more careful to ensure their NATO forces retain access to prisoners.
When rumours of inhumane treatment of prisoners began to emerge, the defence minister insisted the international Red Cross was monitoring their treatment. He was caught-out in this lie. The Red Cross was not involved So he changed his story to insist the Afghani human rights commission was doing the job. Amidst call for his resignation, the PM stands by his defence minister and everyone goes on an extended Parliamentary break.
The The Globe and Mail breaks the story that the Afghani human rights commission acknowledges prisoners are being tortured and it can’t do anything to stop it since it doesn’t have the necessary access to the prisons. The PM respond that appropriate arrangements are in place even if it doesn’t really matter since it’s OK to abuse the prisoners, since they are Tailban and Tailban sympathisers everyone arrested/taken prisoner is guilty just as in the CPC’s reverence of Canadian police) and therefor guilty. Never mind the leading-by-example principle.
When that argument doesn’t play well in Parliament or with Canadians, the defence ministry changes his story and says a new agreement has been negotiated to allow Canadian Forces personnel to monitor prisoners. But he forgets to tell the Chief of Defence who denies any new agreement – for a few hours until he changes his story and says, yes, there is a new agreement. This holds overnight until the PM insists in Parliament that neither is there a new agreement or a need for one since the government has no knowledge of prisoners being abused expect speculative reports in the media.
Oops. the Globe publishes a copy of a heavily censored report to government in which the government is informed proposer abuse is well established and ongoing. The report, obtained under Access to Information law is mostly black-out by the government but the Globe somehow has access to the original and knows the full content (moles inside government – shades of Watergate). Now the PM who is so in charge says lawyers and bureaucrats censored the report, ministers and prime ministers would never get involved in such things. Pinocchio’s nose grows. And the PM continues to deny there is a problem.
Expect up leaps the Public Safety minister to announce that prison conditions are being monitored by personnel on loan from Corrections Canada to teach the Afghanis how we operate prisons in a democratic society. With no disrespect directed to the lone young female corrections officer assigned to Afghanistan, Canadians can judge for themselves how much influence she must have in the medieval conditions that are an Afghan prison. Stockwell Day might better stick to explaining evolution to Alberta school children touring dinosaur park.
And back to the defence minister - well he has been glued to his chair in the House of Commons and muzzled to ensure he doesn’t continue to contradict his boss and the Chief of Defence. And the foreign affairs minister who, one might think, would be involved in any agreements with Afghanistan is missing in action or waiting for Condoleezza Rice to call.
The troubles of the government don’t end with the Afghanistan debacle. This was supposed to be the week the government revealed its environmental policy answer to combat global warming. Oops - Johnny Baird messed up big time on that one too. Faxed his “major policy speech” to the Official Opposition two days before it was to be released. Better call them and threaten they will be breaking securities laws if they leak the speech. Oops - bad idea - better deny is it the major policy speech. Oh well it doesn’t really matter since the speech is a dud anyway since there is no plan to do anything measurable during this government’s life expectancy. Just make the speech in Toronto, far removed from the snoopy Ottawa press corps, in a “secure” setting where environmental critics and “green” lobbyists can be kept at bay, far from any reporters allowed to hear the minister’s words.
Oh, and there is even a “Tory sponsorship scandal” brewing. Heritage minister Bev Oda has $30 million to give away in grants to support Canadian culture, but she has only invited Conservative Party MPs to submit suggestion on how to spend the money. And Canadians only thought Liberals could get up to such chicanery. Did the government notice 57% of Canadians oppose its announced extension of the gun registry amnesty?
Ten days ago, the story of the day was the PM’s image consultant, the clairvoyant hired to ensure his ties match his suits and shirts and that every hair in in place. Amusing, but not the sort of thing that seriously undermines public confidence in a PM. This week is very different.
The in-control PM is improvising on the run to cover-up his ministers’ fabricated stories while over 61% of Canadians tell pollsters the price being paid by Canadian troops in Afghanistan is too high. His environment minister reveals there is no plan to deal with the problem Canadians identify as their first priority. A majority of Canadians are opposed to his public safety agenda and petty scandal is brewing.
It’s been a good week to be Leader of the Opposition.
