From the Strange-And-Unfortunately-True Department
Sun Media's Greg Weston reports that the Canadian Tourism Commission has launched a bobble-head doll named "Steve" sporting an uncanny likeness of Stephen Harper.
Aside from plugging the PM during an election, one wonders about the sanity of those running the Canadian Tourism Commission as the content of the promotional campaign needs an immediate review.
Twins?
Steve likes it hot suggests one page of the government's website targeted at a mostly American audience of travel professionals, perhaps acknowledging George W. Bush's rather infamous tendency to refer to Harper as "my friend Steve". Newfoundlanders and specifically Premier Danny Williams may not appreciate being referred to as "newfies", a term often used or taken in a pejorative sense, in the full colour glossy brochure.
[Editor: Maybe the tourism folks should have waited until after the election before basing an entire campaign on a leader of a minority government. Just a thought.]
On the weekend over a St. Paul's area a dozen cars and homes of Liberal supporters were vandalized or sabotaged by criminals. Just over a month ago not far away in Guelph similar attacks took place, again solely focussed on Liberal supporters. In both incidents brake lines on cars were cut. That no one has come to serious harm is but for luck.
It should be noted that the Aussie election advertisement was part of a failed attempt by Howard to hold onto power - his party not only lost the election to the Labour Party but Howard himself lost his own seat, making him only the second Australian prime minister in history to exit with such ingnominy.
Full points to the Liberal war room which has been doing a bang up job at unearthing these Howard-Harper relationships, rightfully highlighting that Harper's bunch are yet another bunch neoconservative war-mongering ideologues.
Update: The deeply conservative Liberal Party of Australia (yes, I know its hard to keep track of who is who in the zoo and what side of the political spectrum they are on - just know that Aussie "Liberals" are basically the same as Bush Republicans and Harper Conservatives) has an on-line election reminder on their home page pointing back to the Conservative Party of Canada.
230 Economists Agree on Carbon Tax: Back carbon tax, leading economists tell politicians (Ottawa Citizen) - No Carbon Tax: Harper (1) / Yes Carbon Tax: (> 230 Economists). Who are you going to believe? Harper, who has fought against even recognizing climate change as an issue all his political career and therefore has proposed no effective plan for dealing with greenhouse gas emissions, or hundreds of economists who agree with the effective solutions being proposed by others?
No class award of the week goes to Paul Martin: Leak of Martin memoirs sends Liberals scrambling (Globe and Mail) - After leaving office having run the worst campaign this country has seen in quite some time, former PM Paul Martin decides to release a get-even-with-Chrétien book in the middle of another campaign. Furthering the public debate is not the objective of the release at this point in time, selling books is.
Speaking of no class, there's David Emerson: Rock, Paper, Scissors (Revelstoke Times Review) - During an all-candidates meeting Emerson criticised over softwood lumber deal with U.S.
... and Ken Dryden (Liberal): Israel’s party mixer: DRYDEN BLURS LIBERAL STANCE ON MIDEAST (Now Toronto) - Dryden, apparently in a bid to be seen as out-doing his Conservative opponent in support of Israel, makes an outrageous statement suggesting all foreign aid to Gaza be cut off. [Hat tip to C.R. and J.H. with thanks] Update: Dryden's campaign has put out a notice to Now Magazine stating: "I stand by my statement – that we should restrict government-to-government aid to Gaza" and "However, your article leaves the false impression that I implied or otherwise meant that I support halting humanitarian aid and food distributed through various United Nations and other humanitarian agencies. That is not my position nor did I say that during the all-candidates debate."
Today's installments brought to you from the past-bites-you-in-the-donkey department
LIBERAL: Say it isn't so, Stéphane! On a day where a third allegation of plagiarism against Stephen Harper surfaces, Stéphane Dion is shown to have delivered a speech in 2005 containing text apparently lifted from a speech presented by Dr. Robert Corell of the American Meteorological Society before a 2004 U.S. Senate committee on the environment.
NDP: Is the NDP's Deputy Leader Thomas Mulcair really in favour of exporting bulk water from Canada? Maybe M. Mulcair is a little, er, wet behind the ears?
“But if there are areas where I can't have a bottling plant, for all sorts of reasons, but I can export, and I am able to ensure the continuity of resources, and it will bring something to the region, why wouldn't I do it? It's like saying: all our trees in Quebec should stay where they are. They should never be cut. This is a renewable resource, not like mining you know. As soon as you extract the minerals, it's over. But this is water. If we manage it correctly, if we take care of it like we should, why can't we even talk about it? It's this quasi-religious approach that I cannot figure out, Mme. Speaker.” Former Quebec National Assembly Minister of Environment Thomas Mulcair
Besides being against NDP policy, most New Democrats and more than a few Liberals would deploy water torture rather than approve bulk water exports.
Stephen Harper has refused to rule out such a policy. Readers are left to their imagination as to Harper's views on water torture. PS: Someone should inform Mr. Mulclair about that pesky NAFTA treaty and the proportionality clause which, while attached to oil at present. would certainly be pushed by the U.S. to be attached to something even more important than oil... water.
mike watkins dot ca, a more or less equal opportunity critic
