Canada's auditor general has rebuked the Conservatives for recycling an unrelated quote by her about a previous Liberal government's security spending in a parliamentary report on the costs of the G8/G20 summits in Ontario last summer, CBC News has learned.
The Conservatives' report, presented as a dissenting opinion to the Commons the morning Parliament was dissolved last month, quotes Sheila Fraser giving high marks to the Harper government for prudent spending on the summits...
Instead, she said, the Conservatives inserted an 2010 comment she made during a CBC News interview on security spending by a previous Liberal government after the Sept. 11 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.”
Fraser hadn't even appeared before this Committee on the matter, which eliminates even the filmiest of excuses. The Conservatives intentionally inserted a 7 year old quote, relating to the PAST government on an entirely DIFFERENT matter. This is disgraceful, and it involves a certain temerity that frankly acts as a signature example of this government's nature. That the Conservatives would misrepresent the Auditor General in this way to justify their own behaviour is amazing, I don't think hyperbole even possible in this case.
On the one hand, how PATHETIC is this government, that they require deceit to cobble together any credible argument, how WEAK is your REAL backing? On the other, we have seen occasions where misquotes have been used, but we've never seen someone of the AG's stature abused in this manner. There is no accident here with the government, no red faced oops, this is deliberate, it's shocking. I honestly can't remember another story that compares, this complete LIE of a presentation has no peer. I didn't think anything this government did now could surprise me...wrong again! WOW.
18 comments:
Speaking of hyperbole, NDP Pat Martin might be measured:
"probably the sleaziest thing I have seen in politics."
Pat Martin is great for over-the-top rhetoric, but I think he's right on this one. This is about the sleaziest move I remember seeing, at least as far as Canadian politics goes. And I've been actively following politics for over 3 decades now.
Watch tonight's national news broadcasts and see if they mangle all this into meaningless mush in order to be "fair" to the Cons, as usual.
For once, I think Martin's rhetoric matches the offence.
Kirk
Time will tell, but this one certainly has "outside the bubble" potential. How this translates in the debate is interesting too.
I hope the media clues into the fact that this is part of a pattern with the Conservatives. There's the infamous "not" Bev Oda inserted in the Kairos funding letter. Then there's Tony Clement's comments that implied Stats Can supported ending the mandatory census.
It's like whenever something happens, they try and duck behind a civil servant. It's getting sad.
...see if they mangle all this into meaningless mush in order to be "fair" to the Cons...
I know what you're saying Kirk, but the Harpercons took an old quote the Auditor General made about the Chretien government's security costs from the 2002 G-8 meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta ...and attributed it to their G-8 fiasco from last year.
How the flying fuck do you square that circle? Nothing 'fair' about it, that's down right sleazy.
All I know, if I'm Iggy- no shortage of material!
The flaw of corporatism is the conscienceless pursuit of power and personal profit: and Harper is possessed by what he pursues, the malignant use of the quote excretes contempt on Canadian voters even more cynically than ever before.
The Conservatives are always pulling this kind of stuff. Remember the Conference board of Canada economist who costed the Tory platform saying that the one he examined was not the same platform the Conservatives released.
Given this is the government of the man who passed off edited recordings of political opponents as complete and unedited to level criminal conduct charges against a sitting PM and his government and then covered it all up as a media invention created by the Lib war room when it all fell apart upon examination (aka Grewal fraud) why does this surprise or shock anyone?
I said way back then that if he would be a party to something so blatant back as LOO what he would be willing to do and cover up as a PM would be so much worse! Prior behaviour tends to predict future conduct after all, and even before he was able to take the PMO it was clear that Harper was willing to say, do and hide anything, even serious criminal conduct if it would either strengthen his side or weaken his enemies. There always was a reason why I feared Harper beyond all others, and as I've always said it was because of the abuse of power issues unique to Harper!!!
This is just the latest example of a long running pattern with Harper. Why anyone finds this at all surprising (saddening, sickening, disgusting, etc, now that I can understand, but surprising for anyone that pays the slightest attention to politics should not be true) is what surprises me.
It's unfortunate, but I don't know if Conservative voters really care about these things. I would love to see data on the soundbites and issues that actually turn swing voters away from Harper and his minions.
But just to be clear, I do care and I appreciate that you took the time to make a public record of this.
This is my view of dedicated Harper voters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmppzNFjZCU
Should the Harperites be re-elected to government the biggest lesson to take away will be that the Canadian electorate is as stupid as dust balls.
Dana; Stupid and "polling station phobic" and it's pathological.
Here's something interesting from Rob Silver this evening:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/second-reading/silver-powers/tories-and-new-democrats-blocked-auditors-g8-report/article1981178/
Here's the actual transcript:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=5069719&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=3#Int-3825839
I wonder how Martin would feel knowing one of his own supported the Harpercons on this?
dual or duelling stories?
It's almost like a 1, 2 punch. The Conservatives say the Auditor General is a great person and some horrid person leaked her draft, which is NOTHING like their leaked draft or the final report where she's all sweetnes and light and then bam, her letter about their omygoshhowcouldthishavehappenedteeheeblondemomentmisquote comes out and they're left going uhm...well..er...she's as liberally manipulative as the Speaker of the House...damn! *Look a condor!*
Was it the Cons who have lately been going on about whistleblowers being the true helper elves of accountability and transparency? They don't sound like they think that's such a great idea now.
Christopherson didn't support the not tabling, what he supported was the lack of notice on the lib motion to table, to be fair to the poor guy who is probably kicking himself all over hell and back.
Harper down 1.5% overnight according to the rolling Nanos tracking poll. Libs and NDP both gain.
Looking forward to Harper getting hammered tonight in the debate.
One thing is certain, Harper has changed Canada, now ethics and principle no longer concern the majority of Canadian citizens. peg that to how ethics of business and the CEO approach to the PMO, has introduced the business malaise of conscienceless behaviour, the dominant ideology.
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