Statement by Stéphane Dion, Leader of the Official Opposition, on the resignation from Caucus of Wajid Khan, MP for Mississauga-Streetsville
January 5, 2007
“It is with regret that I have received word of Mr. Khan’s decision to leave the Liberal Caucus and join the Conservative Party.
“As a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, I was never comfortable with Mr. Khan serving as an advisor to a Conservative Prime Minister, as Mr. Khan has done since August of last year.
“As Leader of the Party, I felt it imperative that he decide to which party he would ultimately be loyal. Mr. Khan has now made that decision.”
The Cherniak petition says it all!
81. Sherlock Holmes London, England Khan’s defection is elementary, my dear Watson.
80. Daniel Wittrock Surrey, British Columbia
79. Anthony Wittrock Surrey, British Columbia
78. KHannnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Khannnnnnnnnnntario KHANNNNNNNNNNN
77. Brian M. On the edge, ON Damn! If it wasn’t for the proficiency of the gun registry I could shoot this Khan guy.
76. juke khedive newtown, mb Isn’t i funny when people accuse harper of “flaunting” something when they really mean he’s “flouting”. Either way, they’re wrong.
75. Paul Martin of Canada Steamship Lines Windsor, really Let me be perfectly clear. This is unacceptable, on a scale even greater than the time when I siphoned $53 billion (with a ‘B’) from the workers EI fund. Can I be more clear?
74. Lucien Bouchard Quebec This proves Dion doesn’t work hard enough and needs to be more productive
73. Jane Stewart Toronto This is about as horrible as the time I let HRDC ‘lose’ $3 billion of taxpayers money. And when I say ‘lose’ I so do not entirely mean that all of the $3 billion found its way into the hands of companies and individuals with close associations to the Federal Librano Party.
72. Kyoto the dog Montreal, P.Q This is terrible. My master sayz it is terrible, just like the conservatives rolling out soldiers and tanks in our cities. I am not making htis up.
71. james brown big shiny cloud, on This offends me, and I’m dead.
70. Peter Pan Never Neverland It was all tinkerbell’s fault. I knew that fairy dust was bad stuff.
69. Borat Kasakhstan Imma Borat. I am son of Asimbala Sakdijev and Boltok The Rapist. I am former husband of Marlian Tulliakbi, who was daughter of Urriana Tulliakbi. I think that it is sexa time for the Librano partee!
68. Crown Prince Justin Trudeau Mount Royal This will not happen when I assume the throne.
67. Jennifer Shlicht Toronto, Ontario
66. Malcolm Billing Toronto, ON
65. Dave Dingwall Cape Breton If we ever win again, can I get that really cool job at the Mint back, if not, I’ll settle for a Senate seat
64. Ralph outwest It’s probably OK, provided he crossed on a green light.
63. Moonbat Toronto This is all George Bush’s FAULT!!!!
62. Ken Dryden La la land He shoots….. he scores!!!!!
61. PET Waaaaaay Down There ! Obviously Monsieur Dion is a fine French Poofter who hasn’t a fuddle-duddlin clue !
60. PET Waaaaaay Down There ! Obviously Monsieur Dion is a fine French Poofter who hasn’t a fuddle-duddlin clue !
59. liberal lemming toronto, center of the universe
58. Stephane Dion Quebec Dis eze key to de Liberuls mententongue a sustinibul opposition.
57. Johnny Crouton Ottawa and Shawinigan Floor crossing is about as revolting as using your influence as PM to sell a personal piece of recrational real estate. And by the way, as a lawyer, I always wrote purchase and sale transactions for real estate dealings on a restaurant napkin!! HA, haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
56. Belindablowscock Aurora, Ontario Crossing the floor should only be done when there are legitimate reasons. For example. in my case, I was trying to save the frickin’ country from the ‘evil Stephen Harper’.
55. Kevin.Richard Barrie,Ontario
54. Stepan Dhijon Kaybec Crotch cum saw, esque tiddley bum squish?
53. Khan Khan Ontariariooo That foppish Dion fellow – what a dooph!!!
52. Bobs Your Uncle Vancouver, BC LOL!
51. Tie Domy Toronah, ON I still ain’t gonna date him
50. Santa Clause North Pole Dion…..the gift that keeps on giving
49. Forever Liberal Alberta This is a sham, an outright….Ooooh, is that brown paper bag for moi?
48. RT Jean Chretien Shawinigate, Tabernack Dats it, no pepper for ‘is steak!!!!!!
47. Kyoto and Lassies love puppies Alberta We agree,Dion should resign.
46. Joe Volpe The Five Boroughs Throughout the five boroughs, I’m known
45. Mistress Payne Queen Street, Toronto Someone needs to be disciplined.
44. Admiral Kirk Regula One Kahhhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!
43. Bob Rae Debtsville, Ontario Anybody who crosses political lines for purely political reasons shouldn’t be in politics. It’s disgraceful.
42. Cheryl Pinder Alberta
41. Scotty Reid HRM, Nova Scotia I signed, where do I get the beer and popcorn?
40. Juan Les Member Rexdale, Ontario Is this on??? A person of colour betrays his own. I feel much shame.
39. Capndan Burnaby, BC No he should not resign! It seems highly likely the Liebranos are speaking with a forked tongue! Oh, I forgot that is the Liebrano way!
38. Jean Crouton Sherbrook Quebec For me I would put pepper on dat guy
37. Captain Tuttle South Korea Guys like that should be M*A*S*H*ed in public.
36. Jason Currynak Ottawa, Ontario We’ve got to stop those people and their smelly convention cooking!
35. Matt Guerin Toronto, Ontario
34. James Tiberius Kirk Calgary, AB This… is… an… OUTrage!
33. John Aigreraisins Farkbutte, Saskatchewan This is an absolute disgrace. No one should be allowed to cross the floor, unless he is a she and is a media-friendly autoparts heiress. Or, at the very least, in exchange for a decent cabinet seat. It’s disgusting.
32. Nick BC Congrats, who’s coming next?
31. Boob Rae Rosedale, Ontario This awful behaviour must be ended–imagine switching parties like that!
As Andrew Coyne points out:
On Thursday, Dion said publicly that Khan should make a decision about his loyalties. “You can’t have a foot in the government and a foot in the opposition,” Dion told reporters yesterday.
Coyne wrote:
“No, indeed. The idea’s absurd. It’s like, I don’t know, being Prime Minister of one country and a citizen of another.”
Exactly, Mr. Dion.
You are proposing to be Prime Minister of one country and a citizen of another. Frankly, that’s far more serious than a ‘foot in government’ and a ‘foot in the opposition’ within the same country. Your loyalties, Mr. Dion, are to two separate countries!! Please, Mr. Dion, explain that to us.
The other side of this story must be how the blogosphere has been used to take out the Parliamentary Press Galley. There must be more than one editor and publisher wondering what the professional scribes are doing when Stephen Taylor is suddenly the ‘must read’.
The shark has been jumped.
ET:
You and Andrew Coyne took the words right out of my mouth. Maybe our Liberal friends can spin this so Mr Dion doesn’t look hypocritical. It would certainly make for entertaining reading.
or…
“As holder of my personal electoral vote, I feel it’s imperative that he (Stéphane Dion) decide to which party (country) he will ultimately be loyal. ‘Mr. Marc in Calgary’, has now made that decision”
Belinda must resign!!!!
Oh, ooops, wrong party. Kahn must resign! There, that sounds better.
I’m not sure the dual citizenship is entirely relevant to this case. After all, Msgr. Dion is a Liberal, and True Liberals are the natural keepers of True Canadian Values. Mr. Khan demonstrated a divergence from the True Liberal path, and had to be challenged to follow the One Way of Canadian Values.
Msgr. Dion is a True Liberal and therefore his citizenship status is not at issue. You would dare to question the values of a True Liberal?
Besides, Mr. Khan has dual citizenship, does he not?
man, that petition cracked me up!…..I sure hope it was legit….even if it’s not, very funny stuff!
Imagine: a Federal member of parliament acting to help the Government of our country in a non-partisan way….the nerve of that guy! What was he thinking?
I agree with some comments on a lib-blog site today…..”Very bad optics indeed”
NA NA NA NAAAAAAAAA, HEYYYYYYEYYY, GOODBYE….RH Mr. Dion
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it here too; Dion screwed up. He gave Khan an ultimatum, in public, then predicted the Khan would choose the Liberals, also in public. If you read the CBC article, you’ll note at the end that “Dion acknowledged he was aware of the blog report, but he maintained Friday that he had “no indication” that Khan would leave and that he planned to meet with Khan to discuss the matter.”
He hadn’t met with him yet, and still made his prediction. He opened himself up for quite the public humiliation here.
Yes, John, Khan has dual citizenship with Pakistan. But he’s not campaigning to be the Prime Minister of Canada.
Is it true that it was Belinda Stronach in the car trying to break into the PM’s residence?
Luke, one would ignore the blogosphere at one’s peril, it would appear.
Why doesn’t Dion just stop beating around the bush, and declare Khan a kulak.
The Lib-Left spin machines will be in overdrive tonight as they try to dig up every spot or blemish they can tar Mr. Khan with. I think Mr. Dion’s absurd notion that Mr. Khan’s assistance to the sitting government is ‘bizarre’ speaks volumes about the true nature of most in the Liberal Party: Self-serving unto the Liberal Party first…Canada and Canadians get in line. I hope this Chretienite egghead loses BIG TIME. Good on you Steve/Wajid. Good on you too, Belinda….
91. Saline Dion Chumps de Lysee Mife art will go on….
Rok, if Belinda was in that car, she would have been driving from the back seat.
I wonder how many more Liberals are thinking about serving their country and not the Cretchien-Dion Party. In the words of W.A. C. Bennett: “Draw the circle ever wider, my friends.” Maybe Warren Kinsella will be next.
And yet…there are still 30% of Canadians that will vote Liberal next election. I think the press should be hauling these morons out before the cameras and asking them to justify how they can continue to elect these Librano buffoons.
I give Dion credit for at least having the balls to make a statement like that. Paul Martin would have himmed and hawed in front of the camera for as long as they kept filming before he’d answer. That is the end of my credit for senor frenchie pants though. The guy is otherwise a moron in all the great traditions of the Liberal party.
Messr .Khan waves his private parts at your aunties Messr.Dion.
pssst pssst psssst pbbbbttt!!
sorry , it only just occured to me that Messr. Dions accent is the outrageous one used by John Cleese on the top of the castle in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I can only picture Dion with that stupid helmet on. Gilles Duceppe with a hair net , Stephane with the same in steel.
The score for relatively recent floor crossings is now tied – two for two.
Emmerson and Khan for Stronach and Joe Peschisilido.
Remember Joe the no account Reformer/ Canadian Alliance MP in Richmond B.C. jumping into the Chretien cesspool?
The conservatives appear to have the better of the deals as Stronach appears to be getting short shrift in the Lib playpen and Jumping Joe Peschisilido is a Lib aterisk.
In Vancouver the Khan Crossing was mentioned at minute 32 of the local CTV supper news hour in a story lasting about 15 seconds. The average news watcher will likely not even be aware a floor crossing occured.
Irony of irony, all along we’ve been told that it was poor Ms Ambrose that lacked the political savvy to handle the environmental account.
Based on Msgr. Dion’s pathetic performance today, Rona should be laughing her ass off tonight.
That should be “ASTERISK”
J.
Note that it is Dion who is specifically saying that you cannot work with two parties. He considers it a matter of exclusive loyalty. Therefore, how can he be loyal to two countries? How can he be the PM of Canada and also a citizen of France?
Dion said: “As Leader of the Party, I felt it imperative that he decide to which party he would ultimately be loyal.”
Good. As citizens of this country, we feel it is imperative that Mr. Dion decide to which country he will ultimately be loyal. France or Canada? Which is it, Mr. Dion?
CBC The National’s rundown:
1. Air let out of BC Place.
2. It’s raining in Vancouver.
3. Canada wins in hockey.
4. Some infant car seats aren’t safe.
5. What’s coming up later in the newscast.
6. STEPHEN HARPER & WAJID KHAN CHANGE THE BALANCE OF POWER WITHOUT ASKING PERMISSION (Garth Turner’s personal cheerleader Susan Bonner reporting…)
7. Myriam Bedard is whack.
etc.
etc.
etc.
Perhaps Dion should have consulted a “Poll” before making any rash assertions!!
I’m sure Bell Globe Media would have provided the appropriate context for him!
“Is it true that it was Belinda Stronach in the car trying to break into the PM’s residence?”
you people just have no mercy.
this is like the lieberal turdeau having sexual encounters with liona boyd the flaminco guitarist sometime bareback rider crouched down in the back seat of the limo coming and going to pm’s residence eh?
LOL !!!
they ALL do it folks !!! all of them !!!
I just did a screen capture on the lead posting. it will be enlarged to 11 X 17 with highlighter on the ‘loyalty’ accompanied by my usual scathing commentary against liberals and posted on the bay window of the local lieberal mp.
as soon as this rain stops.
at least we dont has to shovels it.
Give the dauphin de france a break folks. Everything probably had a different outcome in his advanced bloc err … make that liberal leaders workshop class at university.
Do you think Dion is a good name for a french poodle?
By the way, can someone PLEASE explain how it makes sense that Jack Layton has more power now that the CONSERVATIVES have another member? What, Layton couldn’t have found ONE Lib/Bloc/Indy to vote with him if he wanted to bring down the government pre-Khan? And what incentive does Layton have to bring down the government, anyway? The Dippers have nothing to gain with another quick election. What a crock of wishful-thinking conventional-wisdom bulls**t.
Check back regularly on Cherniak’s petition. It’s hilarious!
I doubt he’ll try this again.
I’m sending a copy of the petition to a Conservative MP and hope that he/she gives a copy to Harper. He should know how people feel about the decision. I have 103 signatures to send. It will probably be read during the next caucus meeting.
44. Admiral Kirk Regula One Kahhhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!
This is the kind of team I need for my Clown Party of Canada *I’m sending a copy of the petition to a Conservative MP and hope that he/she gives a copy to Harper. He should know how people feel about the decision. I have 103 signatures to send. It will probably be read during the next caucus meeting.
44. Admiral Kirk Regula One Kahhhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!
This is the kind of team I need for my Clown Party of Canada
Loyalty to Canada and his constituents is what is required, Mr. Dion. Loyalty to the Liberal party (or any party) comes second.
Read in comments section over at Taylors blog(re:video of PMSH talking about hockey).Another “funny”by Taber the known idiot on Canada a.m today.During wait for PMSH/Khan to do press conference,she said something about so warm in Ottawa,Harper would be out in his “wifebeater” Can you even conjure up the outrage from her and her ilk,if someone said same about Dion,or any other Lib? Why do we need to hear her venom day after day? I wish,just once,someone would just shut her up,or at least question her open hostility toward Cons.Talk about “fair and balanced reporting”
The Small Dead Animal at the top left corner of this blog is a reminder of what Stephane Dion looked like as he was trampled by Khan bolting for the Conservatives.
NCF TO: It takes all three opposition parties to defeat the government. On the other hand, Harper only needs to make a deal with any one opposition party to get a piece of legislation through. Layton gains more power only in the sense Harper can now work with the NDP directly – something Harper could only do with the Bloq or the Libs before the defection.
Dion the French Citizen. Is really a look alike Peter Cushing morgue attendant. Just give him a set of fangs, than watch him suck the nation dry of its vital life.
This guy is a vampire with ghouls as his ministers. A nobles sense of his place above what he perceives as the ”the peasantry”, linked to a power junkies soul with the extremism of a new convert.
The perfect puppet of the left.
But Fritz, what legislation could there possibly be that the NDP would want to support that would be totally unacceptable to all Libs, Blocheads, and Indies? Perhaps it’s naivetee, but I don’t think the Conservatives would sink so low as to make a prop-up budget deal with the socialists.
Would Layton help Harper get tougher on criminals? Reduce taxes? Cut social engineering programs? Chop corporate welfare to union-friendly industry? I can’t imagine there being a single Conservative priority that Layton could possibly support without being lynched by his fellow lefties. Further, Harper was never expecting this government to last past mid-2007, so he won’t sell out to Jack to save the house. He’d rather go to the polls, and the CPC war chest is ready to go.
What’s this about Stronach at the PM’s residence? Serious, or just a joke?
Revnant Dream has it right.
I think it’s outrageous that Khan has left the Conservative Party to join the Liberals. Absolutely appalling!
Like Stronach, he was elected as a Conservative and now he’s jumped to the Liberals.
Who cares if it’s strategic, and helps the Liberals. It’s just plain wrong.
Wait a second, I’ve just been told that he left the Liberals to join the Conservatives.
Um…
Well then…
I, ah, change my mind.
It’s a good move.
Move on, folks. Nothing more to see here,
CBC reporters suggested that Stronach’s defection was not for self-interest, but that she was driven away by Harper’s rigid leadership style and his control-freak nature.
When are the same discriptors going to be added as it relates to Dion?
Khan has been advising Harper since last summer. Apparently, Bill Graham had no problem with it at the time. It only became a problem when Dion gained the reins of power over the Liberal Party.
Combined with Dion’s statement that he will “appoint” up to 103 candidates to have 1/3 of Liberal candidates being women (“My power is in my pocket if I need it,”), where are the CBC reporters who, in the interest of consistency, should be citing Dion as a “control freak”?
If Dion is acting the way he is as merely an opposition leader, what would he be like as PM?
Ryan: “I think it’s outrageous that Khan has left the Conservative Party to join the Liberals. Absolutely appalling!”
Stronach left the CPC for a Cabinet post during a time when Paul Martin was fishing for defections to prop up his minority. She was a talentless backbencher. Several CPC MP’s were approached and offered positions at about the same time.
Emmerson and Khan both were doing a job for Canada that required they continue at their posts.
Emerson never crossed the floor. He joined the conservatives BEFORE being sworn in as a newly elected MP. Fortier was appointed to the Senate, as all senators are, then made a cabinet minister. On the other hand, dion was appointed to the cabinet, without being elected or appointed to the senate. And what about Captain Canada being appointed before being elected. I think there was also another one, and this was done by Chretain. Funny, there was no outrage in the media about it when it happened, and it was conviently forgotten when Fortier was appointed. However, now that dion is leader of the liberals, all this is coming out, to show the hyprocrisy of the liberals and the media. Kwan is not a defeated candidate who crossed for vengance or a higher salary. Poor Keith Martin, he looks very unhappy on the backbench. I think the next election will have voters giving the candidates a closer look. With 103 women liberals running, and nominated by dion, there will be 103 men who thought they had the nomination that will be very upset. And, if even half the women are elected, only a few will make it to cabinet, and remember, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Wonder if Kwans riding will have a woman named. Dion has to appoint these women in safe ridings, so many men will have to be replaced, and there are not enough ambassadorships, senate seats,or heads of crown corporations to accomadate all of them. And there is no quarantee the liberals will win. It would be great if the media would focus on all the candidates for all the partys, so we in the west/east could see the possible makeup of a liberal or conservative government. We know who will be in dions cabinet, 7-8 leadership losers, otherwise known as his dream team.
Ryan, ordinarily I would agree with you, as fundamentally I prefer MPs to not cross the floor during their reign of terror. BUT. I SO want the the Liberal Party of Canada, its pretenders, sycophants, thieves, incompetents, elitists and ignoramuses OUT of my government, OUT of my country, OUT of my life, that I’m quite happy to see ANY competent, rational, intelligent MP run, not walk, to the conservatives.
As a federal civil servant in a department that has been SO badly mismanaged by the Liberals in the last 10 years, so badly featherbedded for its senior bureaucrats, I want ALL Liberals GONE GONE GONE. ERADICATED. TERMINATED.
That the hitherto unknown lost Dion sextuplet is the intellectually challenged leader is only too delicious an irony. They couldn’t have picked a better buffoon to represent the “new” liberals, if Bin Layton had crossed the floor himself. In fact Jack is going to have outdo himself to even be noticed in the new house.
“If Dion is acting the way he is as merely an opposition leader, what would he be like as PM?”
(sniff sniff) (see, I told ya I was a canine, LOL !!!)
?
hmmm. seems to be the scent of p.e. turdeau 2.0 in the air for some reason …..
at least monsieur dion believes in truth in advertising; the french are all closet tyrants.
if that ^@%@&@%!&#@*# gets so much as a slim minority Im gonna move to ireland the land of my paternal grandmother where *I* can get dual citizenship.
Dion had told Khan to choose between his party and the Conservatives.
He said Khan could not continue serving as Harper’s ‘special adviser’ and remain a Liberal.
[…]
Khan said Dion’s public ultimatum forced him to make a decision.
“When I’m given a choice to choose between a political party and my country, I will always choose Canada.” …-
ctv.ca
Dion, a citizen of France, now has an opportunity to defect from France. Dion has a choice. Will Dion become a turncoat and jump ship to Canada?
Can Dion bring himself to choose between France and Canada? To which country will Dion jump?
To which country does Dion owe his loyalty? Does Dion have two loyalties, three loyalties?
It’s your call, Dion. France or Canada?
RSVP.
CBC butt kissing for dummies:
cbc brass and staff all know the lieberals are their masters, regardless of who is in government.
they cannot sally up to the conservatists and serve 2 masters, plus have been advise repeatedly at various informal functions NOT to favour ‘that other party’ in their reporting.
its a calculation they (cbc) makes based on the history of voting in canada before and during their (cbc) existence.
sol’n?
KILL the beast at the first chance; satellite channels, and a slew of other means of accessing programming (in total, not necessarily in any specific locale) make the national broadcaster SUPERFLUOUS.
kill it stephen, kill the bloated grotesquery asap. rid the planet of the reincarnation of pravda.
cut off the life blood to the scuttlers of truth and free up lots of frequencies for a new era of broadcasting in the great white north.