Now is the time at SDA when we juxtapose!
Via an obscure ethnic restaurant critic’s archives;
OTTAWA – The Liberals are complaining to the federal ethics commissioner over the Harper government’s use of taxpayer cheques bearing the Conservative party logo or Tory MPs signatures.
Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson is being asked to investigate dozens of examples of promotional government cheques that Tory MPs used to tout stimulus spending for partisan gain.
Via Jean Chretien.net archives;
OTTAWA; QUEBEC CITY – Jean Chretien, the Prime Minister, yesterday said his government had nothing to apologize for in seeking to reap maximum partisan political benefit from disbursing $1-billion worth of federal job grants across Canada each year.
He had always made sure since taking power in October, 1993, that voters were left in no doubt that it was his Liberals who were distributing such grants, he said.
“Listen,” he added, “we are the government … I don’t see why we can’t try to get credit for what we do. I hope we do so. There is nothing to be ashamed in that.”
Great sleuthing, courtesy of Manny
Only Chretien can be a cheat and a liar!
That is how I remember it – Crouton filling the trough in his and other Lib ridings and constantly rolling out the “I will not apologize” line.
Maybe, but as a CPC member, I object to use of government funds to promote partisan objectives.
I know that 75% of federal revenue comes from us, and that 75% of recipients are non-taxpayers.
That’s just Conservative socialism at work
But Iffy and the Lieberals do not want to be reminded by facts. It is only wrong if the Cons do this.
Excellent find though and I am going to use this if questioned,
THANKS Manny !!!!!
What’s a few million missing tax payer dollars ear or dare!
Harper is seriously at risk of losing his base. Will the wild rose alliance go federal?
What the Liberals are objecting to here is the use of large ceremonial cheques.
The correct Librano protocol is to issue small(physically) discreet cheques and then consummate the transaction by passing nondescript brown bags full of cash back to the sponsoring Librano.
This really is painful for them to watch.
Syncro
Will that finally make Raphael Alexander shut up? Probably not.
“an obscure ethnic restaurant critic”
Bahahahaha, it never gets old!
But, but, but – the LIBERALS did it too!!!!
Librano or Con, the party slugs need their payoffs. Funny how partisans don’t address the grease and unethical conduct of their own.
When you’ve drank that much koolaid, I suppose all hope is lost.
Librano or Con – they’re both out to screw the taxpayers – and benefit from the treasury.
Gomery recommendations anyone?
“That’s just Conservative socialism at work”
You just made my head explode.
“Harper is seriously at risk of losing his base. Will the wild rose alliance go federal?”
Maybe, if that party ever wins more than one seat in an election that will not be held for a few years.
Kate,
Setting the bar of ethics at Jean Chretien is pretty low.
You’ve shown Warren Kinsella to be Liberal with the “truth”, but the moral relativism is pretty weak. Emulating the Libs pushes the CPC down the same path of patronage that we hated Chretien for.
It appears that the Liberals are going on the assumption that the receipients of the cheques do not realize that it is a Conservative government currently in power. Apparently the Liberals are of the opinion that ordinary people are extraordinarily ignorant and must be reminded that the Conservatives won the last election.
This is typical Liberal thinking as they look down their noses at ordinary Canadians …. pardon the Laytonesque phrase. Reminds me of the infamous “beer and popcorn” comment.
That being said … such subtle attempts at partisan gain should be condemned …. better to simply hand out bags of cash the Liberal way.
I do agree that it’s wrong to use partisan logos on cheques issued on taxpayers’ funds. But the liberals are the last ones who should be pointing fingers. Good find Manny.
Interesting comments. Just where did you see me defending the CPC?
“they ALL do it”
And they all do it because it works.
Who’s to blame for that, again?
Sorry, it was wrong then and it’s wrong now. Not that the Libranos have any room to complain having basically if not invented, perfected the practice. Mr. Harper, please don’t do it because they did. That won’t fly.
Harper is coming around to the liberal way of thinking more and more. One has to wonder how his hard core back benchers are taking this, but at least he is thinking in more liberal terms. We’ll have to keep educating him.
We’ll have to keep educating him.(Harper)
~T
I think you have your hands full digging your own party out of the stupid-hole they keep frantically digging.
The hypocrisy of the restaurant critic crying foul over this pork barreling is breathtaking.
As a small c-conservative do I like this crap…Hell No!
On the other hand who was screaming blue bloody murder about getting the “stimulus” package out there?
Who wailed that the stimulus package was not nearly enough to to save us from economic meltdown?
Who put our dollars in their pockets when they had the chance?
While this is partisan showboating does it meet the standard set during Adscam?
How much of this pork grease has landed in the coffers of the CPC?
Note to obscure restaurant critics: While we may be dining on partisan pork we do have the couth not to dash with the cash.
Syncro
It’s good to point out the double standard, but I’m pretty displeased at the Tory’s behaviour in this regard. The novelty cheques used at these presentation ceremonies should bear the logo of the Government of Canada. Perhaps, in addition to that, the governing party -might- be justified in adding their party logo, in a subordinate fashion.
But, to just include the Tory logo on a cheque drawn from government proceeds, a government program, is bad optics. Very bad optics.
IMO.
I don’t like it either and they had better, as promised, put a stop to it.
There is one positive though. At least we have a photographic record of what money is going where and why it’s being spent. From an accounting perspective, it beats napkins, fake invoices and brown paper bags any day.
Want to see liberal heads really explode?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
Watch PMSH playing with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and cellist Yo Yo Ma at a recent fundraiser.
Just read some of the comments at Youtube. Many heads have already exploded leaving a huge LIEberal mess.
Someone on the government payroll needs to be given a smack on the head. It seems to be very common these days that the leaders and legislators are being fed duff advice from those well paid advisors, be it PMO’s office or other departments. “Because all the other kids do it…” wasn’t an excuse when I was a kid and should not be one now. The Tories have watched the lieberals arrogantly screw up for too long to follow suit.
When it comes to using any Money. ALL politicians seem to think tax payers should pay for it.
This kind of stuff has to stop, they are not kings.
Texas Canuck
I agree wholeheartedly. Cut this crap out! That said, the image of Kinsella as some sort of righteous whistle blower makes me want to puke.
Syncro
I didn’t like it when the Lieberals did it and I don’t like it any better now.
“Harper is seriously at risk of losing his base” No kidding?
Ekos Poll released today; Cons 40.7% – Libs 25.5%
Keep those losses coming!!!
Kate you must remember though that when Chretian did the same thing that was different,why? Well just because they are liberals thats why. And of course they are the Natural Governing Party of Canada & because of that they are Entitled to anything they want.
When Liberals accuse Conservatives of something. It’s the Old Thats like calling the kettle black.
Liberals are natural Hypocrites the whole damm bunch of them.
do as i say not as i do
How much of those millions give out by liberals ended up in conservative, ndp or bloc ridings.
Mary:
should we ask instead, how many of those Millions actualy ended up in Any Riding? Or did they end up in the Liberal Coffers?
It does not matter if Cretin did it.
Cretin was scum. Most liberals are scum. Most politicians are scum, regardless of political stripe. The public is deeply cynical about them, regardless of which party they belong to.
We (the CPC, PM Harper, whatever) have to be better. That’s how we get confidence from the public. That’s how we get a bulletproof majority and a long term mandate.
Seriously, instead of excusing the inexcusable by saying other people did it too, the CPC needs to quickly get on top of it, apologize for doing something wrong (it would show some humility,which I think people would appreciate without punishing the party), and remind the CPC that we are supposed to be better than the Liberals.
And PM Harper needs to read his caucus the riot act about making sure that not only they honour the rules, but the spirit of the rules.
This is the time to demonstrate worthiness to govern as a majority – when the opposition is weak. We won’t have an incompetent neophyte leading the Liberals forever.
Seriously.
Ah, the old douche v. arse defense! Nothing inspires more confidence in leadership than “the other guy did it first”. Possibly “the other guy is even worse”, but they are #1 and #2 for sure.
Jean Chretien:
Speaking out of both sides of his mouth but only using one side of his mouth. That’s politics.
old lori
Your right on there,very well stated & Point well taken.
There certainly is a double standard, but that is because we don’t expect any better from the Liberals. Just because they do it doesn’t mean that the Cons should. I get really pissed every time I see one of those “economic action plan” ads on tv. They are party ads being disguised as government ads. Our side should be better than that.
Yeah the evil conservatives giving grants to those who can use them, in plain sight, as opposed to the righteous Cretin Liberals simply stole the money behind closed doors.
Old Lori and Sounder make valid points. Listen up and take heed at CPC HQ.
This crap won’t fly for long.
Syncro
It really is a kind of delicious irony, the Keystone Koalition Koup basically demanded the pork barrel stimulus package and are then sniffing that it didn’t all go to LIEberal, NDP or Bloquistas ridings.
Of course the government of Canada logo should have been on the celebraTORY props, in the course of handing out the money.
Kinsella, the Gomery Commission darling, is hardly the genius who should be finger wagging the Conservatives to be a little more discrete with the partisan logo. WK thy name is hypocrisy.
Of course there is a big difference between handing out authorized money via the stimulus package (Conservatives) versus simply stealing the money (LIEberals).
Cheers
Hans-Christian Georg Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
The Liberals are just mad as hell that someone else is getting a chance to run the show.
Every second of every minute of every hour of every day that the “Natural Governing Party” is out of office, its members seethe and grind their teeth down in fear, envy and loathing.
There should be a logo for the Canadian Taxpayer. Then the check could read ‘from the CT’
Distributed by the Government of Canada
Managed by the CPC
That might be too much, but reminding people that this money comes from the Canadian Taxpayer might help keep things in perspective.
I just think its fun watching Catman turn himself into a pretzel, trying to make the Liberals look moral and reasonable. Talk about lipstick on a pig.
If the CP MPs were smart they would have had the logos of all of the parties that voted for the stimulus on the cheque. Think of the positive PR that would have garnered. Or better yet have “the taxpayer” as the payor.
As it is, two wrongs do not make a right and the guilty MPs and anyone in the PMO who was involved should be reprimanded for it. It is taxpayer – not party funds – it is the taxpayer who should be getting the credit.
I’m wif old lori.
PMSH has to put the breaks on this sort of stuff hard. I loath cronyism implied or otherwise regardless of the party.
O/T but Is it possible for a restaurant critic to overdose on MSG?
Syncro
“Harper is seriously at risk of losing his base.”
A base of narrow-minded ideologically-challenged reformers? How did things go under Presto in the Reform heyday?
The more that Harper broadens the Conservative tent, the longer those Liberals spend in opposition, rebuilding. I’m very satisfied with that situation.
I don’t know what Mr.Chretien would do but the phrase “If it’s shiney it’s gone!” comes to mind for the Liberals as a whole. The Conservative logo on the cheque was a F-up.
So what’s the point? That the Tories have become the same shameless pimps the Libranos were? Great progress. If I wanted displays of Librano largess I would have voted for them.
Don’t forget golf balls!
The MSMers are as usual full of sh!t abou the issue…
In any case this is something the Harper MPs should NOT be doing …. It pissed me off when the LIbranos were doing it and it pissed me off NOW.
That is MY money they are splashing around not theirs.