Incumbent in one of the most marginal Tory seats get into hot water.
Hope this is good news for Nettie.
Another SK Tory in trouble
Fri, 2010-12-17 06:48
#1
Another SK Tory in trouble
Fri, 2010-12-17 07:29
#2
remind
Lying liars running a printing business out of our HoC, and most likely on our dime too. First Rahim running his little business on our dime and now this...how many more CONservatives are doing the same damn thing? 99% I would presume
Kelly Block should be resigning actually.....
Fri, 2010-12-17 09:20
#3
Boom Boom
"...This included an escort to her seat from Government House Leader John Baird, who told reporters he was "just here helping a friend."
Otherwise known as the "perp walk". 
Mon, 2010-12-20 15:13
#4
What is the reaction in the riding so far? Is there anyone here who lives in the riding who can get a sense of the sentiment on the ground? Is there a chance some of the voters there will change their votes from Kelly Block to Netty Wiebe in the next election?
Mon, 2010-12-20 23:03
#5
Malcolm
Here's the problem:
The public narrative is that an MP's aide leaked the document and that the MP fired the aide as soon as possible after finding out.
While it embarrasses the MP and the government, certainly, this is hardly a smoking gun - unless someone can find some compelling evidence that the MP knew about the leak earlier and didn't fire the aide until it became public, or that the MP was personally implicated in the leak.
To make this stick to Kelly Block in a serious way requires a new narrative - and I don't see one emerging.
Tue, 2010-12-21 06:20
#6
I think the leaking of the document was only the incident that got this started.
The more interesting longer-term issue is the aide's side-business, and the skids of paper and fancy printer sitting outside of Block's office that Thomas Mulcair noted:
New Democrat Thomas Mulcair, who has said he's seen a "very elaborate printing machine" and pallets of boxes outside Ms. Block's office, tried to ask why the Saskatchewan MP would need these materials. But Joe Preston, the Conservative chairman of the committee, said the questions were irrelevant to the leak of the budget report.
The opposition parties (the NDP especially) would be wise to keep on this issue, and find out exactly what has happened here.
Tue, 2010-12-21 12:07
#7
I'd cut her some slack..She is a rookie MP and she did the right thing firing the guy and blowing the whistle on the play..What I would look into now is who higher up is taking advantage of the rookie mp's? There could be more to this one..it is good to see a Tory with some scruples.
Saying that, Nettie should have her day also as MP. The last race had them both in the lead a dozen times and was the most exciting cliff hanger... almost like Rider game.
Tue, 2010-12-21 14:08
#8
Saying that, Nettie should have her day also as MP. The last race had them both in the lead a dozen times and was the most exciting cliff hanger... almost like Rider game.
Unless the Riders played against Winnipeg.
Tue, 2010-12-21 14:25
#9
If she did act immediately then I would like to understand is who his references were that got him hired? It takes political contacts to land those kinds of Ottawa jobs. Were those contacts from her team or from someone else in the party? The other interesting question IMO is who did he print for and did they get a discount rate? A discount rate to a politico and this becomes a story with legs.
Tue, 2010-12-21 14:32
#10
Very chivalrous of Baird. Would he have escorted her to her seat if she was a he?
Tue, 2010-12-21 17:16
#11
Here's the problem:
The public narrative is that an MP's aide leaked the document and that the MP fired the aide as soon as possible after finding out.
While it embarrasses the MP and the government, certainly, this is hardly a smoking gun - unless someone can find some compelling evidence that the MP knew about the leak earlier and didn't fire the aide until it became public, or that the MP was personally implicated in the leak.
To make this stick to Kelly Block in a serious way requires a new narrative - and I don't see one emerging.
Perhaps it's true that she will get good marks for the quick firing, but it still raises questions about her judgment as an MP. Why would she hire someone who was so unqualified and untrustworthy? What type of vetting process does she engage in for hiring? It reminds me of John McCain picking Sarah Palin as his V.P. It raised more questions as to his suitablity to be Commander-in-Chief when he picked someone who was not qualified to succeed him in the office.
Ms. Block appears to have a pretty incompetent group of assistants working for her.
Tue, 2010-12-21 22:40
#12
Malcolm
Apparently the yahoo had worked in MPs offices previously. On paper, he was just the sort of person a rookie MP would want to hire. Doubtless his name was on a list of "suitable" candidates provided to her and to other rookie MPs.
I don't think this story has legs. The OTHER story (of the illicit printing business) may, if played right.