Liberalism is trust of the people, tempered by prudence; conservatism, distrust of people, tempered by fear.
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Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’
- Former Harper Aide Says Jaffer Should Apologize Kory Teneycke, a former spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said Jaffer is the one who owes the public an explanation and an apology. ⇒ By Tonda MacCharles writing for The Toronto Star; posted Wed 10-Mar-2010. Canada — Afghan Detainees
- How to Tame a PM’s Prerogative? In a showdown with the Crown — like the one over Afghan detainee documents — Parliament can use statute to take matters into its own hands ⇒ By David Schneiderman writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 10-Mar-2010. Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’
- Jaffer Avoids Criminal Charges, Leaving Questions Unanswered Ex-MP pleads guilty to careless driving but cocaine, alcohol charges are dropped ⇒ By Tu Thanh Ha writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 10-Mar-2010. Canada — Miscellaneous
- Throwing Stones in Glass Houses The irony is that a politician from the United States, whose health system is besieged by problems, would throw stones at Canadian medicare ⇒ By the Editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 10-Mar-2010.
What’s even more dramatic here is that the oblivious Mrs. Palin actually missed the real irony of the insult she meant for Canada; that in making her case she broke hers! What’s more, they paid to hear her speak! However, as she is the darling of the right-wing nuts, they’ll dutifully gloss over this flaw in her argument — never mind her
thought process
— and celebrate their champion, anyway. Oh! And of course, the’ll continue deriding the stupidity of liberals!
Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’ - Tories Pressed for Answers on Jaffer Sentence “Rahim Jaffer, when he was an MP in Edmonton got elected on a tough-on-crime platform...” ⇒ By CTV.ca News; posted Wed 10-Mar-2010. Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’
- Vic Toews Blames Media for Rahim Jaffer ‘Smear Job’ Stephen Harper’s senior Manitoba minister has launched a public attack on a journalist from his province over her reporting of the Rahim Jaffer affair, calling it a “smear job.” ⇒ By Jane Taber writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 10-Mar-2010.
It has been remarked that since Jaffer was — and is — now a private citizen his foibles and peccadillos are his own business. A fair observation if there wasn’t the issue of how the formerly
honourable
gentleman received a mereslap on the wrist
for his offense(s). In addition he is still connected politically being the husband of Helena Guergis — the Minister of State for the Status of Women. As a Canadian of prominence and with connections — or former prominence — was he afforded thebreak
because of it?As for Mr. Toew’s fulminations of course it is always
acceptable
for conservatives to attack the media — the messenger — when the latter don’t portray them in a positive light but carry on with their spin operations — really propaganda propagation combined with a generous voodoo concoction of marketing techniques — with nary a care in the world!It truly strikes me odd that the ever-populist conservatives incessantly complain about and accuse everybody else of being elitist and entitled yet still manage to comport themselves with such glorious and certainly sanctimonious decorum they miraculously muster each and every day. Truly bewildering… yet not surprising at all!
Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’ - Airport Worker Says Guergis Meltdown among Worst He’s Seen Junior cabinet minister apologizes for her behaviour at Charlottetown Airport ⇒ By Sarah Boesveld and Jane Taber writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 26-Feb-2010.
Perhaps we Canadians (particularly the often — although certainly not always — sanctimonious CONservatives amongst us) will remember this
classy
lady’s ill behaviour next time the Tories accuse and berate — and just when have they ever not?!? — other people and/or parties (particularly those not of their own) ofentitlement
and/or beingelitist
.The CONservative bloggers and comment trolls are out in full force; already accusing the left of everything, of course. Meanwhile, one cheeky comment posted asked:
Where were the tasers?
I guess there is merit (or at least a point) to one of der Harper’s first official actions upon assuming office after all — issuing a gag order to all his MPs requiring them to clear communications with the PMO.
UPDATE: Women’s Groups Give Guergis ‘A Pass’ on Her Airport Tantrum But opposition critics say status of women minister should resign for ‘utterly failing’ at her job. ⇒ By Jeff Davis writing for The Hill Times; posted Tue 09-Mar-2010.
UPDATE: Liberals Want Helena Guergis Fired Wasting no time to pounce on Conservative misfortune, the Liberals are calling on the Prime Minister to sack a member of his cabinet after an ugly incident at Charlottetown Airport. ⇒ By Stephen Wicary writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 26-Feb-2010.
I love the update paragraph added by the author indicating the CONservatives have dug up references to Liberals who’ve had their airline difficulties.
And in the
I never thought I’d ever defend a staff writer at The National Post
department, the reference in the above article was not altogether fair in its characterisation of the one below. It is my considered opinion that the The National Post article below is atongue-in-cheek
piece. I think that considering the bad press they anticipated the story was going to get, Mr. McParland went for a quaintLet’s-head-them-off-at-the-pass
write-up with humour to disarm it.UPDATE: Helena Guergis Deserves a Medal Helena Guergis deserves a medal. Maybe two. We’ve been winning plenty of them in Vancouver, maybe someone can send one of the spares her way. ⇒ By Kelly McParland writing for The National Post; posted Fri 26-Feb-2010.
Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’ - Harper’s Running on a Public Opinion Treadmill Like a plant whose buds fail to open, his government is consistently failing to thrive in the polls. It could be that the Conservative party was uprooted from opposition too quickly for its own good. ⇒ By Chantal Hébert writing for The Hill Times; posted Tue 09-Mar-2010. Canada — Budget 2010
- How It Starts Moral: Maybe today’s deficits don’t seem like much to get worked up about. They never do. ⇒ By Andrew Coyne writing for Macleans; posted Tue 09-Mar-2010. Canada — Tory Meddling in and Muzzling of NGOs
- NDP Presses for Rights-agency Probe Calling handling of Rights & Democracy a ‘devastating blow to Canada’s reputation,’ Paul Dewar asks House committee to investigate ⇒ By The Canadian Press; posted Tue 09-Mar-2010. Canada — Miscellaneous
- Ottawa Gives Voice to Anthem Controversy The Harper government is proposing a review of the national anthem lyrics after complaints about the reference to ‘all thy sons’ ⇒ By Gloria Galloway writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 03-Mar-2010.
As a Liberal, it may surprise some that I don’t see the point of this
controversy.
It is my belief that whenever we singO Canada
we know thatall thy sons
includes one and all — not just males! This is fluff of the highest order to misdirect!UPDATE: Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth behind Proposed Changes to the National Anthem Ontario Senator Ruth is unique in the Tory caucus in that she is a strong feminist who is also gay. ⇒ By Harris MacLeod writing for The Hill Times; posted Tue 09-Mar-2010.
UPDATE: Conservatives Ditch Plan to Revise Anthem The Harper government announced this afternoon that it is abandoning its promise to make the national anthem gender neutral by taking out the reference to “sons command” and replacing it with its original lyrics — “true patriot love thou dost in us command.” ⇒ By Jane Taber writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 05-Mar-2010.
I can’t shake this feeling that we’ve just been had. This had to have been some sort of Harperite hocus-pocus (or should it be hokus-pokus?!?).
UPDATE: Reaction from Tory Base Forces Quick Reversal on Anthem Lyrics Idea Prime Minister’s Office says Canadians have spoken ‘loud and clear’ that O Canada is fine the way it is ⇒ By Steven Chase writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010.
Truly amazing how quickly der Harper listens to his base. Of course, the fact that he calls his base as
Canadians
as if they werethe universal set of Canadians
is rather disturbing (but not unexpected considering that he’s hyperpartisan). As a minority government it is amazing how they ignore the rest of Canada when it comes to other issues.
Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’ - Rahim Jaffer Pleads Guilty to Careless Driving Former Conservative MP fined $500; cocaine possession charge dropped ⇒ By Tu Thanh Ha writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Tue 09-Mar-2010.
Related: Tories Bristle when Asked to Explain Rahim Jaffer’s ‘Slap on the Wrist’ Stephen Harper’s tough-on-crime Conservatives were accused of being not-so-tough when it comes to one of their own today during a particularly nasty Question Period. ⇒ By Jane Taber writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Tue 09-Mar-2010.
I was going to refrain from further comment considering the follow-up article here … however, having missed the actual Question Period telecast this afternoon, I can only tsk-tsk that the CONs must have been absolutely apoplectic! I guess it’s tough to do the time when you’re a hypocrite CONservative doing the crime!
Canada — Afghan Detainees - Ottawa Anticipated Afghan Torture Allegations: Memo A Foreign Affairs memo obtained by CBC News confirms the Canadian government had a plan to deal with accusations that prisoners in Afghan custody were being tortured months before such allegations were made publicly. ⇒ By CBC News; posted Mon 08-Mar-2010. Canada — Miscellaneous
- Palin Says Family Went to Canada for Health Care Critical U.S. blog reaction also casts doubt on veracity of childhood anecdote told during weekend Calgary speech ⇒ By Lee-Anne Goodman writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Mon 08-Mar-2010. Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’
- Public Safety Minister’s Ruling Inadequate, Judge Rules Justice calls minister’s refusal to let Canadian return from Costa Rica to serve his time ‘arbitrary;’ lawyer alleges racial bias ⇒ By Paul Koring writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Mon 08-Mar-2010. Canada — Budget 2010
- The Reality of Ottawa’s Foreign Ownership Changes The telecom industry was stunned when the Throne Speech indicated an end to ownership restrictions. What a difference a day makes... the reality may be much less dramatic. ⇒ By Iain Marlow writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Mon 08-Mar-2010. Canada — Afghan Detainees
- Canadian Spies Interrogated Afghan Prisoners, Insiders Reveal Security experts stunned by CSIS’s role in questioning Taliban fighters who may have been tortured ⇒ By Murray Brewster and Jim Bronskill writing for The Canadian Press; posted Sun 07-Mar-2010. Canada — Budget 2010
- Flaherty’s Pricey Budget Flight Irks Critics Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is facing the ire of opposition critics who say the minister isn’t leading by example, after it was revealed that he used a private jet to sell his belt-tightening budget Friday. ⇒ By CTV.ca News; posted Sun 07-Mar-2010.
UPDATE: Day Defends Finance Minister’s Late-night Flight The federal government’s plan to set a positive economic example for Canadians by curbing its own operational spending was not harmed by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s flight to London, Ont., this week, the treasury board president said Sunday. ⇒ By CTV.ca News; posted Sun 07-Mar-2010.
Canada — Access to Information - Access Czar Investigating Allegations of Political Interference Tory staffers also allege it continues despite the PMO’s edict to all political staffers to comply with the law. ⇒ By Jeff Davis writing for The Hill Times; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — Budget 2010
- Budget Reality: Promises, Promises on the Road to Fiscal Hock The single most curious aspect of North American political conservatism is that it has very seldom produced what it preached ⇒ By Jeffrey Simpson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — Afghan Detainees
- Canada Wanted Afghan Prisoners Tortured: Lawyer Unredacted documents show officials hoped to gather intelligence, expert says ⇒ By CBC News; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’
- Feds Wrong on Crime Bills: Therien The Conservatives are simply stoking the ideological fires to justify their tough-on-crime policies to get re-elected. ⇒ By Emile Therien in a letter to the Editors of The Hill Times; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — Afghan Detainees
- Grits Willing to Drop Order to Produce Afghan Documents, Want Judicial Inquiry The move would allow both sides out of an impasse of historic proportions that if unresolved could lead to a divisive federal election within the next few months. ⇒ By Tim Naumetz writing for The Hill Times; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — Access to Information
- It’s Time for a More Transparent Federal Government in Canada The NDP last week called for a formal investigation into allegations of systemic violations of Canada’s Access to Information laws by the governing Conservatives, Canwest News Service reported. It’s about time. ⇒ By the Editors of The Hill Times; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — Prorogation
- Parliament Returns with a Sense of Déjà Vu Between Ottawa’s economic plan and its agonies over the Afghan detainee affair, not much seems to have changed since prorogation ⇒ By John Ibbitson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010.
I’d also hazard to predict that der Harper will be providing nary an explanation for nor illumination upon prorogation anytime soon.
Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’ - PM More Concerned with Reinforcing Party’s Core Constituency than Converting Moderate Majority Whatever the labels, the writing is on Ottawa’s walls: to challenge Conservative orthodoxy is to risk reprisals. ⇒ By James Travers writing for The Hill Times; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — Afghan Detainees
- Retired Judge Asked to Review Documents in Detainee Affair Justice Minister Rob Nicholson says Frank Iacobucci will vet classified documents MPs have demanded ⇒ By Gloria Galloway writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — Tory Meddling in and Muzzling of NGOs
- Rights Fracas Draws International Rebuke ‘Canada’s credibility is at stake,’ group says in criticizing Conservative government’s handling of Rights & Democracy ⇒ By Joan Bryden writing for The Canadian Press; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — Miscellaneous
- Thou Dost in Us Bewilder After shooting himself in the foot with the anthem, the Prime Minister should re-calibrate his office’s focus on issues that matter ⇒ By the Editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — Budget 2010
- Tory Deficit-slashing Plan Needs a Lot of Luck Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s plan to largely get rid of the deficit in five years depends on a trifecta of happy news — uninterrupted economic growth, historically low interest rates and uncharacteristic spending restraint. ⇒ By Julian Beltrame writing for The Canadian Press; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. Canada — Prorogation
- The Use, Misuse, and Abuse of Prorogation No Prime Minister has so abused the power to prorogue. Harper’s former chief of staff Tom Flanagan understood the obvious: the purpose of prorogation was to terminate Parliament’s probing of the Afghan detainee issue. ⇒ By Nelson Wiseman writing for The Hill Times; posted Sat 06-Mar-2010. The United States of America
- Complexity and Collapse Imperial collapse may come much more suddenly than many historians imagine. A combination of fiscal deficits and military overstretch suggests that the United States may be the next empire on the precipice. ⇒ By Niall Ferguson writing for Foreign Affairs; posted Fri 05-Mar-2010. Canada — Afghan Detainees
- Harper Grilled over Prorogation, Detainees Opposition demands unredacted documents over Afghan detainee transfers ⇒ By CBC News; posted Fri 05-Mar-2010.
Obviously, no
recalibration
occurred with respect to der Harper’s sense of accountability and transparency! Yes, no change there!
Canada — Budget 2010 - The Heavy Lifting is Still to Come The Harper government’s 2010 budget is a promise unfulfilled, and the country as a whole will need to remain focused on the task to come ⇒ By the Editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 05-Mar-2010. Canada — Budget 2010
- PM Gambles that Voters Care about the Deficit, Little Else Stephen Harper’s government has brought down the most austere, deficit-fighting document since Paul Martin set out to balance his budget in the nineties ⇒ By John Ibbitson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 05-Mar-2010. Canada — Budget 2010
- A Budget for Election Season The Conservative program of no new programs stakes out the ground for the next election battle, trusting that Canadians want the spending taps tightened ⇒ By John Ibbitson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 04-Mar-2010.
Read it yourself… Full Text: the Budget Speech Jim Flaherty’s remarks in the House of Commons on Thursday, March 4, 2010 ⇒ By Finance Minister Jim Flaherty; posted Thu 04-Mar-2010.
Related: Spending Now, Restraint Later — after the Next Election If these optimistic assumptions are wrong, faulty predictions will become clear only later ⇒ By Jeffrey Simpson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 04-Mar-2010.
Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’ - Immigration Minister Pulled Gay Rights from Citizenship Guide, Documents Show Early draft noted decriminalization of homosexuality, Charter protection on sexual orientation and legalization of same-sex marriage ⇒ By Dean Beeby writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Tue 02-Mar-2010.
And finally after denying it yesterday (Wed. 03-Mar-2010)… UPDATE: Kenney Responsible for Removing Gay Reference Canada’s immigration minister says he takes “full responsibility” for a citizenship study guide that had all references to gay rights removed. ⇒ By The Canadian Press; posted Thu 04-Mar-2010.
UPDATE: Jason Kenney on Gay-rights Removal: ‘I Did Not Do Such a Thing’ Immigration Minister responds to report his office excised references to Charter protection and same-sex marriage from citizenship guide ⇒ By Dean Beeby writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 04-Mar-2010.
UPDATE: Scott Brison Decries ‘Conservative Revisionist History of Canada’ Jason Kenney and his fellow Conservatives can’t resist twisting Canadian values to reflect their ideological position on same-sex marriage and equality, Scott Brison says. ⇒ By Jane Taber writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 03-Mar-2010.
Canada — Prorogation - A Pivot; Not yet a Recalibration The Speech from the Throne was a surprisingly ambitious effort. Whether the government has truly adapted to new realities will only be evident once today’s budget is unveiled ⇒ By the Editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 04-Mar-2010. Canada — Prorogation
- Budget will Expose Absurdity of ‘Recalibration’ What Canadians will see is overwhelmingly more of the same ⇒ By Jeffrey Simpson writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 03-Mar-2010.
UPDATE: Throne Speech Deconstructed; More of the Status Quo It’s more rehash than recalibration — a prorogation credibility gap filled with many words and a few shiny low-cost baubles to distract from an eloquent three-months-in-the-making rewrite of the old government agenda. ⇒ By Don Martin writing for The National Post; posted Wed 03-Mar-2010.
Canada — Tory Meddling in and Muzzling of NGOs - Critics Blast ‘Dead-of-night’ Rights Appointment Decision to install Gérard Latulippe at Rights & Democracy despite objections typifies Tory tactics, opposition says ⇒ By Bruce Cheadle writing for The Canadian Press; posted Wed 03-Mar-2010. Canada — Prorogation
- Tories Tilt Parliament to the Right with Throne Speech Patriotism, law and order, deep cuts signal strides toward small-C conservativism ⇒ By Campbell Clark writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Wed 03-Mar-2010.
See it for yourself… The Throne Speech (Wed. 03-Mar-2010)
Of course, the one remarkable thing about this Throne Speech is the length and yet it manages to say very little about anything substantive!
Canada — Tory Meddling in and Muzzling of NGOs - Foreign Affairs Minister Picks New President for Splintered Rights Agency Gerard Latulippe, a former Alliance candidate, was a caucus-mate of Lawrence Cannon’s as a Liberal MNA in Quebec ⇒ By Joe Friesen and Campbell Clark writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Tue 23-Feb-2010.
UPDATE: Rights Nominee Critical of Muslim Immigration Gérard Latulippe argued concentration of immigrants in Montreal undermined ‘proper functioning of Quebec society’ ⇒ By The Canadian Press; posted Tue 02-Mar-2010.
While I’m sure the CONservatives decry the progressive outcry about this latest of outrages as comically inconsquential, it should be said that there is a difference. When the CONservatives make decisions like this, they — in their zeal to keep pure their values and ideology — end up excluding groups instead of being inclusive. Of course, CONservatives probably see nothing wrong about this whatsoever!
UPDATE: Opposition Unites against Lawrence Cannon’s Rights-agency Choice Foreign Affairs Minister must buck tradition if he wants to install former Alliance candidate Gerard Latulippe at Rights and Democracy ⇒ By Campbell Clark writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Fri 26-Feb-2010.
The International Scene - Frostbitten The magisterial “Cambridge History of the Cold War” views the Cold War as an undifferentiated chunk of history. But the conflict between the superpowers was just one strand of history in the middle and late twentieth century, not the whole story. ⇒ By Lawrence D. Freedman writing for Foreign Affairs; posted Tue 02-Mar-2010. Canada — Tory Meddling in and Muzzling of NGOs
- Rights & Democracy Dissidents Fired Three senior managers at the federal government’s human rights agency who were suspended for publicly declaring their lack of confidence in three Conservative appointees to their organization’s board of directors earlier this year have been fired. ⇒ By CBC News; posted Tue 02-Mar-2010. The International Scene
- After Iran Gets the Bomb Despite international pressure, Iran appears to be continuing its march toward getting a nuclear bomb. But Washington can contain and mitigate the consequences of Tehran’s nuclear defiance, keeping an abhorrent outcome from becoming a catastrophic one. ⇒ By James M. Lindsay and Ray Takeyh writing for Foreign Affairs; posted Fri 26-Feb-2010. Canada — Miscellaneous
- Air Travellers Face Extra Security Fees Transport Minister announces new charges meant to pay for full-body scanners and more officers patrolling airports ⇒ By Daniel Leblanc and Bill Curry writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 25-Feb-2010.
What a circus! I saw the broadcast of the announcement by Minister Baird and I have to remark on a couple of things about this “decision.”
While I don’t have a count, I heard the minister use the CONservative talking points of “transparency and accountability” enough times to elicit a chortle on my part.
As a convenient segue, it is remarkable how the Tories lay claim to “transparency and accountability” in view of their having prorogued Parliament in December. I guess their approach is to repeat the words over and over again until people are benumbed to the notion of it actually existing beyond the words used.
Not coincidentally, this decision was not debated in the House of Commons — well, that’s because the House was prorogued — and when asked by a reporter after his speech, Minister Baird claimed there was not enough time. Orwelllian… really… after all how can there have been any time when they prorogued Parliament?!?
Canada — Access to Information - Is This the Answer to Access Requests? Stop Keeping Records? Governments have always tried to withhold documents, but the Conservatives may have the ultimate solution ⇒ By Lawrence Martin writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 25-Feb-2010. Canada — Tory Meddling in and Muzzling of NGOs
- Michael Ignatieff Objects to Tory Choice for Rights-agency Chief Liberal Leader won’t endorse Gerard Latulippe, calling his appointment to helm of troubled Rights and Democracy ‘counterproductive’ ⇒ By Campbell Clark writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 25-Feb-2010. Canada — Prorogation
- Reform Begins at Home Prorogation and excess PMO power highlight increasing discontent over Parliament’s so-called democratic deficit ⇒ By the Editors of The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 25-Feb-2010.
Related: PMO Has Too Much Power, Poll Finds More than 40% of Canadians put Prime Minister’s Office ahead of Senate as institution most deserving to have its wings clipped ⇒ By Campbell Clark writing for The Globe and Mail; posted Thu 25-Feb-2010.
Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’ - Feds Need to Stop Dismissing Page’s Reports Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page released another zinger last week. This time, he is warning the federal government that it must eventually deal with Canada’s aging population because it will continue to squeeze public finances and leave future generations with massive deficits. In his report, Mr. Page predicts that Ottawa will have to deal with an expanding "fiscal gap" in revenue in the decades ahead that could rise from $20-billion to $40-billion annually within two decades. ⇒ By the Editors of The Hill Times; posted Wed 24-Feb-2010. Canada — CONservatives Behaving ‘Oddly’
- Siding with Skeptics, Conservative MP Decries Climate-change ‘Alarmism’ Maxime Bernier takes public stand by questioning scientific consensus on environmental challenge in Montreal newspaper ⇒ By The Canadian Press; posted Wed 24-Feb-2010.
Maybe — considering his past indiscretions — Maxime Bernier is just mixing his briefings with his briefs (or vice-versa) once again. It is also quaint of the minister to claim that
we need to keep an open mind
when he is a member of a party that is stereotypically closed-minded.