Is Harper playing the race card to deflect attention
Thu, 2008-01-31 13:39
#1
Is Harper playing the race card to deflect attention
Thu, 2008-01-31 13:39
#2
quote:
from one of his top officials in the wake of reports that the official intervened behind closed doors on behalf of a Montreal developer in a dispute with the Public Works Department.
quote:
"The fact that there are two Montreal men of Greek origin does not mean that there is a conspiracy."
quote:
Speaking to reporters, both New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton and Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe called for Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson to investigate whether Soudas is guilty of violating the government's ethics code and whether Housakos acted as an unregistered lobbyist.
Dion doesn't feel the need for an investigation.
Ah politics Conservative style!!!!!
[url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/politics/story.html?id=974db71d-49eb-4...'s staffer on the hot seat.[/url]
Thu, 2008-01-31 14:00
#3
Harper is indeed creating a side-show to deflect from the issue.
I lost respect for a House of Commons that allows such malicious maneuvers, long time ago.
[ 31 January 2008: Message edited by: adam stratton ]
Thu, 2008-01-31 19:54
#4
Now Dion has some splaining to do.
quote:
A lawyer for Dimitri Soudas says he was defamed by Mr. Dion and insisted on a public apology no later than next Wednesday.Mr. Dion had suggested the prime minister's spokesman was a party to extortion in August 2006.
After question period on Thursday, Mr. Dion said: "Yesterday I used an inappropriate word: 'extortion' attempt. I apologize for that, and that was not the appropriate word.
But Mr. Dion added: "I will choose my words well this time: it appears like political interference."
quote:
But Mr. Soudas fired back at the opposition Thursday in a lawyer's letter that was released well before Mr. Dion's statement."Your allegation that Mr. Soudas was party to extortion . . . is patently false," said the letter to Mr. Dion from the Lang Michener firm.
"At no time did our client act illegally or use an official position or powers to obtain property, funds, or patronage.
"Your defamatory statement was calculated to maliciously disparage our client as a person and as a public official, and is actionable as such."
The letter demands that Mr. Dion read a public apology in a media scrum outside of the House of Commons.
[url=http://www.rabble.ca/babble/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=reply&f=2&t=009705]Dion says he's sorry, sort of.[/url]
Fri, 2008-02-01 17:39
#5
The saga continues ....
quote:
Harper's innuendo that opposition leaders' suspicions were based on the fact that Soudas and Housako were of Greek ancestry is simply offensive and has no place in parliamentary debate. The fact that Harper sees two individuals and assumes their most relevant connection is their shared ethnicity is disturbing. Surely in this context their political connections are more important.Harper's dismissal of the allegation of improper conduct based solely on the fact that the dispute with the developer carried on -- it is still before the courts -- seems to be a deliberate misunderstanding of the nature of power.
When public officials get a summons to the Prime Minister's Office, they take it seriously. Staff who work for the prime minister know this. They know that their correspondence carries the implication that it is sanctioned by the man who has tremendous influence over the future of anyone who works for the government at a senior level.
[url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=f0e56e16... response to an ethics issue undermines Harper's own integrity[/url]
Fri, 2008-02-01 18:16
#6
From the article above:
quote:
Harper's dismissal of the allegation of improper conduct based solely on the fact that the dispute with the developer carried on -- it is still before the courts -- seems to be a deliberate misunderstanding of the nature of power.
This is an example how the MSM white-wash and serve as apologist for the power of the day.
"deliberate misunderstanding"? No. A calculated, malicious maneuver, an insult to Parliament and an insult to Canadians' intelligence.