Maybe it's just a slow news day in Ottawa, but I find it hard to believe that the most worthy issue that the Leader of the Official Opposition and the Bloc Québécois had to raise was about the Foreign Affairs Minister's ex-girlfriend. Really, guys?Prime Minister Stephen Harper dismissed concerns Thursday pertaining to the past relationship between Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier and a woman formerly linked to the Hells Angels.
Julie Couillard, Bernier's former girlfriend, was once married to a biker and lived with another.
Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion and Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe want to know whether the relationship was a security risk.
On Thursday, Harper called the two opposition leaders "a group of gossipy, old busybodies."
"It's none of my business, it's none of Mr. Duceppe's business, it's none of Mr. Dion's business," he told reporters in Ottawa.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
good on stephen harper.
You probably won't see me write this very often, but good on Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his response to Stéphane Dion and Gilles Duceppe's questions about Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier's ex-girlfriend.
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It's important - it's about security. How come Harper didn't think it was anyone's business regarding Belinda Stronach? Double-standard here?
ReplyDeleteCSIS thinks it's important and anyone with a brain thinks it is - he Minister of Foreign Affairs - a "cabinet" position and he was running around with a biker gang lady.
Ah, we're in a war in Afghanistan, they grow poppies - biker gangs are involved in drugs - and that's just one reason.
In the past I might have agreed with you. And I don't think the Libs will push this as they've dropped more legit scandal-issues too soon ...
ReplyDeleteBUT
Harper and his crowd have sooo lowered the tenor of discourse in this country, and the media have helped, so Bernier's lack of judgment (not his personal life) is fair game - after his gaffes it is part of the pattern.
Sorry Dave. You're wrong on this one. Any civil servant with a spouse or girlfriend with ties like that would have been fired, demoted and access to information denied. In this case, she is guilty by association.
ReplyDeletehttp://watch.ctv.ca/news/mike-duffy-live/thursday-may-8-2008/#clip51745
Agree with you on this daveberta. It's truly petty & unnecessary & certainly takes the focus off of more important agendas,politically, as well as all the other major, alleged, scandals perpetrated by the Cons.
ReplyDeleteIt's denigrating into U.S. style politics. Shameful!
There are so many important things to focus on that deeply affect our democracy etc.
penlan
Dave: I couldn't agree with you more. I think it is a bit of a push to say that this is a national security issue. Should Bernier get full on blog and press treatment - absolutely. Going out with this woman was dumb. Waste time in the HOC or having MPs speculate about his private life on the panels - doesn't rank in comparison to the serious issues facing this country. We are at war (although few of us would notice), we are facing economic slow down and possible recession in Ontario, Who Bernier is banging seems low on the totem pole to me.
ReplyDeleteThat is why I was so happy with the NDP and Jack. I watched QP yesterday and he asked questions about the growing income gap while the LPC caucus and the Bloc focused on BikerBabegate. For those that want to know what real opposition to the Con Agenda is, check out www.ndp.ca.
James Curran,
ReplyDeleteof course you know that the libs and Bloc lobbied the media for weeks to break the story.
msm checked it out, and there was nothing there, no takers....except.
(Susan Delacourt
Ottawa Bureau Chief)
Toronto Star
Coderre and Duceppe marching with Hezbolla is more a national security risk than anything I have ever witnessed.
As usual Wilson, you have no clue. None whatsoever.But I see you got the Conservative talking points hot off the press this morning.
ReplyDeletewilson,
ReplyDeleteLet me guess, your one plank platform is Israel.
For me, the only thing worse were all the bloggers cheering them on.
ReplyDeleteCSIS thinks it's important and anyone with a brain thinks it is
I have a brain. I don't think it's important. In fact, I know it's not.
The Hells Angels, as with organized crime everywhere have the money to buy many people. Corruption IS a big deal, and there is no way that you can minimize Bernier's relationship as some hanky-panky between consenting adults that doesn't matter. The Conservatives have to get into bed with some strange bedfellows to win votes in Quebec, but bedding down with Mom Boucher (by proxy) is going too far.
ReplyDeleteRC