Blue Like You

Archive for November 26th, 2007

Afternoon Update: Good grief! It just gets crazier and crazier. CTV reports that “the group Democracy Watch says Stephen Harper is in a conflict of interest over the Mulroney-Schreiber affair — and it wants the federal ethics commissioner to investigate.”

Duff Conacher apparently feels that Harper shouldn’t have been the one to pick the adviser.

Doesn’t that call into question the integrity of David Johnston and his ability to remain impartial? Here is a man who agrees to serve his country. It is a thankless job. And this is what he gets?

I think the U. of W. President deserves an apology.

The opposition parties must think that a public inquiry into the Mulroney-Schreiber affair will somehow ameliorate their political capital vs. the present government. Some left-wing pundits seem to share that view. Others think it’s a huge mistake.

But is it in Canada’s best interest to fork over all this money and attention? Author William Kaplan, an expert on the Brian Mulroney-Karlheinz Schreiber affair, thinks not and predicts that the upcoming hearings will be a “gong show.” (CTV)

Kaplan also thinks a public inquiry into a controversial $300,000 in payments to the former Progressive Conservative prime minister by the German-Canadian businessman will prove to be a bad idea.

“We don’t need another inquiry. We certainly don’t need the ‘gong show’ that’s about to transpire on Parliament Hill next week before the ethics committee,” the lawyer and author of two books on the controversy told CTV’s Question Period on Sunday.

Kaplan’s advice to David Lloyd Johnston, the legal academic whom Prime Minister Stephen appointed to advise on the terms of a public inquiry, would be that a special prosecutor be appointed to review the matter and recommend if charges should be laid.

Geoffrey Stevens who teaches political science at WLU and U of G, thinks that this whole affair will hurt the present government because “the hearings will keep the issues of corruption, integrity and truthfulness alive in the public mind” even though he admits that “there’s scant chance that the ethics committee will lay a glove on Harper or his government”.

I don’t quite get the logic here. Attempting to malign the present government which is a totally different party and has nothing to do with the Mulroney era other than a few tangential relationships which are also present in today’s Liberal party (e.g. Garth Turner), hardly smacks of a huge risk to Harper in my mind.

However, Stevens is suggesting this will cost Harper a majority government.

An new Ipsos poll shows the gap between the CPC and the Liberals is closing, but it is unlikely that the poll results are directly related to the Mulroney-Schreiber affair. (Post)

Darrell Bricker, president of Ipsos Reid, said the poll indicates that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservatives have so far avoided major political damage from the Mulroney-Schreiber affair.

“I don’t think these specific events have had much impact. Maybe a little bit of an impact but it’s not like it has crashed the numbers in the same way, for example, as the sponsorship scandal hit Paul Martin and the Liberals,” Mr. Bricker said.

I personally doubt the ‘Airbus Probe’ will have much of an adverse impact on the Harper government.

However, I doubt any party could achieve a majority in this period of Canadian politics. Unless Harper screws up bigtime, I doubt we will see another Liberal majority for a long time.

Liberal leaders before Martin had majorities based on right-leaning opponents who were in disarray and fighting against each other. All that has changed now.

And I also doubt we will see a CPC majority anytime soon. The lines of partisanship are just too firmly entrenched. The mushy middle that changes sides is getting smaller, as I see it.

So whose interests will the inquiry serve?

I can only only think of two people - Schreiber and Mulroney.

It will be an expensive gong show.

So Michael Bryant arrived in Caledonia today. As the Globe reports he met with “local politicians, business and spiritual leaders during his much-publicized trip, but did not meet with any of the Six Nations protesters or their representatives.”

Frustrated residents were not able to talk to the Minister, but seemed only too happy to vent to reporters:

Misti Bottenfield, who lives near the former housing development site that has been occupied for almost two years, said it’s time Mr. Bryant gave protesters an ultimatum.

“It should be — get off the land or no talks,” said the 26-year-old, adding she has been repeatedly intimidated by the protesters. “Get off the land and out of the houses. Even though the barricades are down and the roads are open, it’s still not much better. It sucks.”

Pat Woolley, another Caledonia resident complained:

“This thing is getting worse, not better,” said Woolley, adding the province should put an end to the occupation now while it continues negotiating the land claim.

“Businesses continue to suffer … You can’t allow this thing to go on. I’ve always brought my children up to believe we are all equal under the law. My frustration with this Liberal government is that we’re not seeing this transpire in this community.”

Bryant’s main response to the occupation was that “whether the provincially owned land is cleared of protesters is a matter for the provincial police, not the governing Liberals to decide”.

So, what’s the hold-up, Julian Fantino? Why not clear the land? Are we not all equal under the law?