Snarky remark on taking citizens’ questions – and a reference to the A.G. report! All in one question!

Harper says he hasn’t seen the A.G.’S report. He should ask Ryan Sparrow for a copy.

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“Dad, his hair looks fake.”

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Harper and Duceppe got the end podiums. (Podia?)

I’m not sure what the significance may be, but we’ll no doubt hear from an “expert” on it, soon enough.

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I’m going to live-you-know-what the debate.

Kids are doing homework. Dog is asleep.

Also, I notice Stephen Harper is a bright shade of orange.

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UPDATE: And it’s working! Steve-o’s personals are taking a nosedive! Nanos says so!

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Buckets is on the case!

Of such things are governments defeated!

(Oh, that it was not satire…)

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• Where to start? The debate we were all anticipating (well, some of us, anyway) 24 hours ago is long gone.  It’s a new debate, now.  In just 24 hours, we’ve learned the following:
• The Conservatives broke the law on spending: So says the A.G.  Coverage/commentary here and here and here and here.
• They lied like bastards: And deliberately falsified the record relating to the selfsame Auditor General, as reported here and here and here and here.
• They paraded hookers through 24 Sussex: So they now admit, here and here and here.
• They had senior Prime Ministerial advisors who were sleazy crooks: So says the record, here and here and here.
• Lawbreakers; liars; hookers; criminals: These guys have it all.  Christ Almighty, do they ever look like sleazebags, now.  Their standard response to criticisms about same?  One, “no one cares.”  Two, “Adscam.”  Three, “you guys were worse, nyeah nyeah nyeah.”
• Other takes: Here and here and here.
• It’s going to be an interesting debate: Here’s a bit from my column in today’s Sun, below.  What do you think?  Am I right, wrong? “I have done debate prep with a variety of politicians over the years, from former PM Jean Chretien to premiers Gord Campbell and Dalton McGuinty. In every case, I’ve passed along the same advice.  One, to win, your side’s message must dominate. For Harper, it’s the economy and law and order; for Ignatieff, it’s health care, ethics, Harper’s dictatorial style — and, now, that leaked auditor general report suggesting the Tories broke spending laws at the G8.  It doesn’t matter how charming and smooth you are — if most of the minutes that make up a debate are dominated by the other guy’s campaign themes, you’re going to lose. Period.”
• Pic of the day: Whose got the best caption for this one?

 

 

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“Warren, as an FYI…during the last meeting of Public Accounts, Liberals brought forward a motion to call on the AG to release the very report that had part of it released today…whether the House was sitting [or not]. The Tories AND the NDP voted against it.”

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I probably could have written a slightly more benign headline, but it’s about right.  To wit:

…in her letter addressed to members of a Commons committee on Friday, which was received by the clerk and members on Monday, Fraser said the quote had nothing to do with the summits.

Instead, she said, the Conservatives recycled an old comment she made on security spending by a previous Liberal government after the 9/11 terrorist attacks a decade ago.

“The comments attributed to me in the [Conservative] report are completely unrelated to G8/G20 spending,” Fraser writes in her letter.

“I would appreciate it if the report could be modified as it is clearly erroneous.”

Boy, it sure is a good thing this isn’t all happening right before the leaders’ debates, or anything!

 

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Ryan Sparrow is a member of the Conservative Party’s war room, as seen here and here and here.  He is the party’s spokesman, and is not a PMO employee or a ministerial staffer.  He is not an MP, or someone who would have received an A.G.’s report in advance.

Why, then, does partisan hack – one who is not held in the highest regard by many – have a copy of the Auditor General’s report on allegedly unlawful G8 spending?  How did that happen, exactly?  When Stockwell Day made “criminal” allegations about Jean Chretien in the 2000 campaign, none of us in the war room saw the report clearing Chretien in advance – we got it when the media and Day did.

That’s not all.  Why were the AG’s tough comments – eg., “we are concerned” – apparently excised from the final draft? Did Conservative Party employees push for that? Who else in CPC HQ has seen the various drafts?  Isn’t that contempt of Parliament?

Man oh man, I’ll bet my Con pals would like to see Senator Finlay back running things.  Again.

Tories left scrambling after leak of G8 report, call for release of final draft (FedElxn)
Source: The Canadian Press
Apr 11, 2011 12:37

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OTTAWA –  The Conservative election campaign is in full damage-control mode following a bombshell report from the auditor general that’s critical of government spending during last June’s G8 meeting.

An early draft of the report, a chapter of which has been seen by The Canadian Press, accuses the government of misinforming Parliament to win approval of a $50-million fund for spending in Industry Minister Tony Clement’s riding.

Fraser suggests the process by which the funding was approved may have been illegal.

The Conservatives themselves want Auditor General Sheila Fraser to release the final version of the report before Tuesday night’s federal leaders’ debate.

Tory spokesman Ryan Sparrow says the draft report does not reflect the final report, which was shelved until after the May 2 election.

Sparrow says the government is prepared to facilitate the final report’s release, which he says would also require the consent of the Speaker.

News of the report landed like a bombshell on the federal campaign trail.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff echoed the call for the report’s release and accused the Conservatives of showing contempt for Parliament and for Canadians.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe also called for the report to be released before Tuesday night’s English leaders’ debate.

INDEX: NATIONAL POLITICS

© 2011 The Canadian Press

 

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