In this Week In Canadian Politics, Canadians got their first smell of George W. Bush Junior, better known as Steven Harper, when the new Conservative Prime Minister took a play right out of the Karl Rove Playbook by barring the media from filming the caskets of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Also, this week there was a possible delay in the American Passport requirement, a former Tory MP under investigation for illegal contributions (shock!), and more candidates enter the race for leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
This Week in Canadian Politics is a summary of postings at Maple Leaf Politics.
Flags and Coffins
Saturday morning, Canada awoke to the news that four of her soldiers in Afghanistan were killed by a roadside bomb. It was the worst day for Canadain forces in the country. There were calls for Stephen Harper to lower the flags on Parliament Hill and order the same for other government sites. Harper refused.
Many local governments and agencies decided to honour the request and lowered the flags. Even Conservative Premier Ralph Klein ordered flags to be flown at half-mast. Harper continued to refuse.
The debate of lower the flags had been circulating prior to the deaths over the weekend. Harper made it quite clear that the flags in Ottawa would only be lowered one time a year to honour all of Canada’s fallen. In a sick twist of fate, two weeks ago Steven Harper received a letter from Lincoln Dinning who requested Harper reconsider the request to lower the flags if soldiers continued to fall in Afghanistan. Cpl. Matt Dinning, Lincoln’s son, was among those killed this weekend.
But Harper did not stop the outrage with refusing to lower the flags. On Monday, a day before the four dead soldier’s remains were to be returned to Canada, he ordered a media ban from filming the return of the caskets.
The Conservative government has taken steps to keep the public from seeing images of flag-draped coffins when fallen soldiers are returned home from Afghanistan.For the first time since the Afghan mission began, the government will shut down an Ontario airfield when the remains of four soldiers killed over the weekend are returned Tuesday. Government officials said the new directive is permanent.It echoes a policy attempted by the Bush administration. Concerns that a stream of images of coffins draped in the Stars and Stripes would diminish public support for the Iraq war prompted the White House to impose a publication ban.
This decision caused an eruption among the Opposition and many military families, who felt that Harper was sweeping the dead literally under the rug.
Tina Beerenfenger, wife of late Cpl. Robbie Beerenfenger, said she was shocked by the decision.
“I feel that these soldiers deserve recognition that the flag should be at half-mast for each and every one of them,” said Beerenfenger, whose husband was killed by a roadside bomb near Kabul in 2003.
“I know it’s not a tradition, but since then they’ve lowered it and I feel that Canadians all over should know when one of our soldiers fall, and remember them on that day and again on Remembrance Day.
The mother of Cpl. Jamie Brendan Murphy, a soldier killed in Afghanistan in 2004, agreed.
“I don’t think it’s right, because they’re over there fighting for us and they’re losing their lives, and we’re not honouring them,” said Alice Murphy from Conception Harbour, Nfld.
“Honour the soldiers and put the flag at half-mast.”
One 87-year-old veteran’s widow and life-long Conservative said it best.
“I voted for him and I am now ashamed to say so. He becomes more . . . stupid . . . every day.”
Apparently, the issue is starting to get more than the Harper government can take, because it is trying to distance itself from the whole mess now. Insiders have tried to paint a picture that they whole idea was not even Steven Harper’s or Defence Minister Gordon’s O’Connor’s idea, but the Communication Director’s, Sandra Buckler.
The Harper government’s controversial decision to ban the Canadian news media from ceremonies honouring repatriated war dead originated in the Prime Minister’s Office and was made primarily for political reasons, multiple sources close to the government said yesterday.”It was not [Defence Minister] Gordon O’Connor’s idea,” one said. “Exactly whose idea it was is somewhere in the Langevin Block.”
Several sources close to the Prime Minister’s Office said the strategy originated with Sandra Buckler, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s new communications director. She then sold it to Mr. Harper, arguing it would generate only “a week of bad publicity,” after which it would be accepted as a fait accompli, sources said.
Asked whether it was her idea, Ms. Buckler replied in an e-mail: “Not true.” She declined to say whose idea it was.
Mmmm, Mmmm, good. That’s Conservative Leadership for you. When things are good, take all of the credit, when it is bad – blame someone else. In this case a lowly appointee.
Many Conservative pollsters and analysts are already saying that Harper gave the opposition a stick to hit him with on this issue, the problem is that it is turning into a baseball bat quickly – soon it may be a metal one.
Did the US Congress Just Blink On Passport Requirement?
There appears to be a crack forming in the passport requirement to enter the United States.
The Bush administration is facing a rebellion by northern border-state lawmakers who want to push back deadlines requiring passports or tamperproof ID cards from all who enter the United States.
In a bow to lawmakers whose states neighbor Canada, the Homeland Security Department is considering easing some of the rules for infrequent border crossers. But many in Congress, backed by Canadians, say the compromise isn’t enough, and are pushing to delay the restrictions, set to take effect in 2008, by 18 months.
The rules, as they stand now, are “a train wreck on the horizon,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. He and Rep. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, are looking to file legislation that would delay border requirements until July 2009. That legislation could come as early as this week as part of a massive spending bill the Senate is considering, Leahy spokesman David Carle said Wednesday. Stevens is chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
It appears that the border states realize what the impact is going to be and are now on board to actually listen to the concerns and address them now, instead of later.
Harper’s Accountability Act Gets A Poster Boy – A Conservative
Former Tory MP Gurmant Grewal is being investigated by the RCMP for what looks like illegal campaign contibutions (what is it with Conservatives and illegal activity??)
In rare move, a top RCMP officer with the force’s commercial crime section has officially confirmed former B.C. Tory MP Gurmant Grewal is under criminal investigation relating to tens of thousands of dollars in donations given to him by members of the Indo-Canadian community.
“The RCMP’s commercial crime section is conducting an investigation into the handling of campaign contributions and political donations,” said section head Insp. Kevin DeBruyckere on Sunday. “We are hoping to wrap up the investigation within a couple of months.”
Numerous donors who gave Grewal amounts ranging from $200 to $5,000 said they never received receipts for political donations and often were asked by the former MP to make the cheque payable to his own name. On Friday, the Vancouver Province revealed some of the cheques were deposited into Grewal’s own account.
Donors also said at least four Mounties were blazing a trail through the community and brought with them cheques the RCMP appeared to have obtained by “accessing” Grewal’s accounts at several banks in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland.
But this is the first time the RCMP have publicly stated they’re investigating Grewal who didn’t run in the last election. Grewal was first elected to office in the Surrey Central riding in 1997 and ran successfully for office in two more general elections.
What makes this so funny is that Steven Harper is trying to get his Accountability Act passed. The whole idea is the stop campaign contributions that could corrupt a politican. Looks like Grewal is the new poster boy for that campaign.
Liberal Leadership Race at Ten Candidates
After today, there will be ten candidates running for the leadership position of the Liberal Party. Pretty much all of the front runners are in the race and there will definitely be choices to take the party in new directions if that is what the party faithful want.
The big names that entered this week were Bob Rae, the former NDP Premier of Ontario; Gerard Kennedy, the former Minister of Education in Ontario and a Canada blogsphere favorite; Scott Brison, a Nova Scotia MP and former Progressive Conservative; Carolyn Bennett, an MP from Toronto; and Ken Dryden, a former hockey star and Social Development Minister.
There may be a few more to enter the race, but really the ones that have a shot are now in the race. Good Luck to all of them.
Other Links
Well that is all for this week. Talk to everyone next week.
Is Gwyn Morgan a Political Hack?
The Smell of Tractor Exhaust in the Morning
Is There Merit In A Liberal-NDP Merger?
Bill O’Reilly Wants To Deport “Stupid” Americans to Canada