Blue Like You

Archive for February, 2007

National Newswatch has just posted a little item from the Star about Gerard Kennedy who is obviously not a happy camper since Jonathan Kay’s National Post story broke.

Kennedy says that the allegations are “totally baseless”.

He must be referring to the following from Kay’s editorial:

Among veteran Liberal insiders, it is believed that the several hundred Sikh convention delegates Bains and his allies led into the Dion camp (via Gerard Kennedy) came with a price: an end to the investigative powers contained in the Anti-Terrorism Act, which was opposed for predictable reasons by various Sikh, Tamil and Muslim organizations.

Well, I would welcome a house-cleaning here. Let’s get it all in the open. How about we have an inquiry?

Jack’s Newswatch has also picked this up. He has a great analysis of his own as well, “Raising Public Awareness”.

You might have missed it if you blinked, but CTV has disclosed the real secret Liberal agenda behind last night’s vote against extending the anti-terror measures. It wasn’t about upholding civil liberties at all:

Todd Russell, a Liberal MP for the riding of Labrador, said that “any time you take a bully on and push him back, that’s a victory. (Prime Minister Stephen Harper) is a bully, and he got what’s coming to him tonight.”

Playing partisan games with Canadian lives. And they call Harper ’scary’.

Maureen Basnicki, whose husband Ken was one of 24 Canadians killed in Manhattan’s twin towers, has according to Michael Ignatieff simply been participating in a ’sideshow’:

Ignatieff said while he sympathized with terror victims, their appearance during the debate over whether to renew the powers is “just a sideshow.”

“The issue here is not whether we have or have not met with victims of 9/11. Every member of our caucus feels the grief and horror that those victims went through.”

After the vote, Basnicki, on behalf of the Canadian Coalition Against Terror, said she was “very, very disappointed” in the outcome, and angered by Ignatieff’s comment.

“Sideshow? I was a victim of terrorism. My husband was murdered.

“I don’t like to be a victim of politics.”

(Alberta Ardvark has also picked up on this Toronto Star article.)

So, I guess it’s fine for some Liberals to cast aspersions at grieving Canadian citizens; seek to diminish their pain and question their motives.

However, if a Conservative MP even makes a general comment that is substantiated by solid investigative journalism, then self-righteous Liberals are allowed to publicly demand apologies.

Another Liberal entitlement, I suppose.

Oh, yeah, and by the way Ms. Basnicki, didn’t you know that TIMES HAVE CHANGED???

Get with the program.

In the previous post, Molarmauler asked me where Dion was. Stephane was conspicuously absent from Question Period this afternoon.

It’s a fair question; especially in light of the fact that a very important vote is coming up shortly. He left his underlings to defend his stubborn position against extending the anti-terror laws in spite of advice from his own caucus, Liberal ex-ministers, the Liberal Senate, families of 9-11 victims and of Air India, and so on.

So I tracked him down. He was in Toronto busy campaigning. It’s going to take a lot of work to build that Liberal majority government you see. But the main thing is to get back the power for the Liberals.

As long as he has his priorities straight, right?

More from Steve: Stephane Dion wins one - and will likely lose big. Steve gives a great analysis of possible outcomes for my two new heros, Tom Wappel and Irwin Cotler.

Also, ChuckerCanuk is a great read tonight. (Well, not just tonight, but this one is especially well done.)

Families of Canadians killed in the 9-11 terrorist attacks are adding their voices to those begging Stephane Dion to reconsider his position before today’s vote (CNews), (CBC), (CTV)

Stephane’s going to have a lot of people to answer to about this.

Meanwhile, Stephane is already planning his MAJORITY GOVERNMENT!

Also please check out these Star stories (I hope the links work) - Tensions mount as anti-terrorism vote nears, and Liberals review legal options. Liberals are now demanding an apology from Pierre Poilievre!

When the sh*t hits the fan, throw it back even harder, I guess.

The anti-terror laws die Thursday. Yesterday in the Commons, Stephen Harper offered a compromise, but Dion has stubbornly refused to consider it.

Unfortunately, this very important issue has spiraled out of control and become some sort of political showdown.

I hope to have an more extensive commentary later, but let’s start with Don Martin’s column, “Not all Liberals will enjoy the kill”:

…Opposition parties argued yesterday that these emergency powers are too radical for rights sensitive Canadians, yet in the next breath insisted they merely duplicate measures available elsewhere in the Criminal Code…

Kudos to the National Post for today’s hard-hitting editorial, “Don’t let C-257 become law”.

As anyone living in Ontario knows, gas shortages from the recent CN strike have seriously jeopardized business and transportation.

The Bloc’s private member’s bill to outlaw replacement workers would only serve to exacerbate this type of disruption. Our economy could be seriously affected to the point of driving even more manufacturing jobs out of Canada.

The Bloc has tried this trick before and failed nine of the previous times. However now that the Liberals have Sheriff Dion in town, they are placing political manoeuvring above the best interests of the country:

But now that their left wing is in charge of the party, and now that the Conservatives are in power, the Liberals favour the law because they reason it will embarrass the government while also permitting them to steal votes from the NDP.

Not even the Liberals, with all their political machinations, are prepared to back a law that would shut down essential services during a strike. But if they can persuade House Speaker Peter Milliken–himself a Liberal — to permit amendments that would exempt emergency workers, the Liberals seem prepared to vote for a measure they rightly defeated nine times.

This is just one more illustration of what happens in a minority government situation when all oppostion parties join in an extremely irresponsible left-wing agenda to further their own partisan interests. It happened with the Kyoto bill, it is going to happen with the Anti-terror vote, and it looks as if it will be happening again with the National Economy held hostage.

More at Dr. Roy.

Tuesday Update: CFIB opposes C-257 (not surprisingly). Check out BC Tory.

Today’s Hill Times reminds us that the measures that were brought in as part of the Anti-Terrorism Act by the Liberals are set to expire on March 1. A vote is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. (You can access the HT article via National Newswatch - “Dion’s Whipped Anti-Terror Law Divisive…”)

For some reason, Stephane Dion as chosen to frame this issue as a pivotal test of his leadership and caucus loyalty, even though Liberal opposition to his three-line whip and subsequent threats is well known and even extends into the Liberal-dominated Senate:

Ontario Liberal Senator David Smith denied that the Liberal caucus is divided or that this issue is affecting the morale of the caucus members.

“I haven’t sensed that. These things aren’t totally black and white. There’s a range of opinions on it but our caucus is very supportive of our leader. I support him 150 per cent and he’ll get through this complicated, tricky issue in a way that’s reasonable and responsible,” Sen. Smith told The Hill Times.

Sen. Smith, who chaired the special Senate Committee on the Anti-terrorism Act last week, recommended that the two controversial measures be extended for three years.

Excuse me, but I detect a disconnect somewhere there. I suppose though, in the world of Liberal-think it makes some kind of sense.

In any case, as the Hill Times has apparently talked to a top Liberal source who supports a renewal of the anti-terrorism clauses:

…“It’s a mistake, it’s divisive and has affected the morale of the caucus. If this was brand new legislation and the Liberals didn’t have their fingerprints all over it from before, then it would be different but it’s not. The majority of the people who are in the House now on the Liberal side were there when this legislation was passed by the Liberals”…

Since Dion has threatened to refuse to sign nomination papers for anyone who opposes him, his caucus now has no option. They either follow the leader or they cross the floor.

And in the case of Senator Smith, he must feel that party solidarity trumps all else, and thus his 150% support.

Why this issue Stephane? Why??? What are you not telling us?

Check out Olaf’s latest post - Dion and the ATA...

CNews - Grits say no to changes. Dion has his heels dug in.

As the one year anniversary of the Caledonia dispute draws near, Kate has an inconvenient truth posted - “It’s time for the politically incorrect truth to be told”.

Just for the record, the Feds have said that the claim is invalid.

However, there is a breaking news link on the main Hamilton Spectator page at the moment titled “Caledonia resolution not coming soon…” I’m not even going to try to link to it, because those Torstar breaking news links are so frustrating.

However, Monday’s Spectator does promise extensive coverage of the upcoming Happy Anniversary, which I’m sure all the townsfolk will be busy celebrating.

Liberal Catnip breaks the news that Kim Bolan has contacted CP and stated openly that “that there was no leak from anyone and that the story was done on her own initiative.” (H/T to Ross at the Gazetteer, who played a major role in uncovering the truth).

From Canada.com:

“The story was not a plant by anybody,” Bolan said. “All this talk of plants by the government or the RCMP is ludicrous.

“Nobody has disputed a single element of the story because it’s true,” said Bolan, who has covered the Air India case since the tragedy in 1985.

Bolan said it’s ridiculous that politicians are reacting as if the information is some kind of security breach. She said anyone who has covered the Air India case in any detail has the information.

L.C. says that, “Whether or not this will satisfy the Liberals remains to be seen and it certainly, in my mind, does not excuse Stephen Harper’s part in this affair”.

I have to ask, ‘excuse him’ from what?

In today’s Toronto Sun, Sheila Copps states the following:

Most political observers were shaking their heads when Prime Minister Stephen Harper attacked newly minted Liberal Member of Parliament Navdeep Bains.

How did PMSH attack Bains? He simply began reading from the Vancouver Sun, and wasn’t even allowed to finish what he was trying to say!

If there was an implication of any kind, it was a question about whether or not Stephane Dion’s steadfast refusal to support the extension of the anti-terror laws was in any way influenced by some sort of political debt. But Harper never got to finish his thoughts. You can’t condemn a man without evidence. So much for the Liberal values of civil rights.

I now have two remaining questions:

#1. Why isn’t this plastered all over MSM?

#2. When will the Honourable Member from Wascana retract his nasty allegations and apologize to the Prime Minister of Canada?