Photo: MP Helena Guergis is questioned by reporters, September 17, 2009. Pawel Dwulit / The Canadian Press.
This is too much, even for unabashed partisan Liberals, to handle. Are we now expected to go on a 24-hour Helena Guergis rage watch, just over one incident? It has been 11 days since the Minister for the Status of Women flew into a rage at Prince Edward Island airport. Stay tuned for breaking news and mounting casualties.
I mean, really, what could be more pointless? It has now been 14 years since former Prime Minister Jean Chretien put his mittens around a protesters neck and began choking the life out of him. You don’t see the news reporting stories like this:
“Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien was at a Liberal fundraiser today to give a speech meant to rally the party around Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. Mr.Chretien managed to get through the entire speech without once choking anyone from the audience.”
But if the Ottawa Citizen is guilty of flogging a dead horse, the Liberals are just as ready with the whip. In the CBC today, the Liberal party has announced its intention to call for a “formal investigation” into the temper tantrum thrown by Ms.Guergis on February 19. Sadly, I’m not making this up.
The Liberals are so interested to get to the bottom of the airport rage incident, they have filed an Access to Information request to acquire copies of the security video. For what purpose, or how it pertains to the job of holding the Conservative government to account on its record, is a complete mystery.
The Liberal critic for the Status of Women, Anita Neville, said Ms.Guergis could have violated Canadian aviation regulations with her argumentative and belligerent behaviour that could have put passenger safety at risk.
Boy, if that isn’t stretching the fabric of truth to the physical limitations of science, I don’t know what is.
There’s no question that the minister acted inappropriately, and that she caused embarrassment to herself and to her party. But to say that she violated “aviation regulations” and put passengers at risk is more than just a little over the top. It’s like asking someone to step down from their job because they got angry and argued with a policeman for issuing them a speeding ticket.
You would think with the current Liberal agenda of changing the rules of prorogation and getting the detainee committee back together, that a personal outburst in an airport would rank fairly low on the priority list. But as this party has demonstrated with “Wafergate”, the aboriginal body bag incident, and of course bathroom breaks during G8 photo-ops, there’s nothing too insignificant for the Liberal Party to demand an investigation for.
Now, if Stephen Harper really believes that the incident has damaged the reputation of the office for the Status of Women to the extent that Helena Guergis needs to be removed, I’m sure that will take place in the next cabinet rotation. Or better yet, they could save $25 million and axe the whole ministry in the name of balancing the books. But all a formal investigation is likely to prove is that Helena Guergis is a human being, and like all human beings, not immune to making mistakes.
Does anyone else despair at the state of Canadian media when after they finish with Ms Guergis they’ll go back to writing the navel-gazers about why women don’t seem to be entering politics and wonder why?
I think you’re on to something there, Joe. But at the same time, I have to remind you that you it doesn’t count when you’re talking about conservative women. When they’re talking about getting more women into politics, they mean more women who aren’t conservative.
Yeah you’re right Adrian. Ms Ambrose, Ms Guergis, even Sarah Palin; they committed the ultimate sin, they aren’t singing out of the Liberal/Media Elite songbook, so they must be destroyed, and better yet, ridiculed first.
Don’t forget Belinda Stronach. Well, before she became a Liberal, that is.
There are also incidents involving John McCallum being too pissed to get on a plain , years ago “tequila” Shella Copps raising a stink at an air port in Newfie. These stories barley made one news cycle before being dropped by the lieberal cheer-leading MSM.
David Akin had a whine on his blog recently about the length of time it takes to get a response to Quebec” pointed out, perhaps if the system was not overloaded with trivia it might function better. Case in point.
On the topic of female Conservative ministers, you’re exactly right, Adrian. I don’t think there’s one that has not been subjected to ad hominem attacks from the left, although some have clearly dealt better with them than others.
Jad,
I think one of the most interesting, and also telling, statistics from the last election was the number of female Conservative members elected to Parliament. This, without the Liberal affirmative action program they have in place.
I had the pleasure to meet Minister Guergis at an event that my EDA put on. The atmosphere was extremely tense as she appeared right after the pie throwing incident.My city is the communist capital of Canada run by CAW thugs. Their fears were justified but they relaxed when they saw me…I’m a big lug.
Helena is going through persona; challenges right now.
I thought it was Gail Shea who had the pieing?
Adrian you are correct it was Gail Shea, we didn’t want a repeat performance nor a shouting protest.
Harper should prorogue Parliament and hold a commission of inquiry.
Guergis should get the political equivalent of a swift kick in the ass for her incredibly stupid behaviour. You have to wonder how people who have so little self control get elected to office in the first place. Is she a classic case of someone who fooled all of the people some of the time?
Chances are the Great Patriotic Coalition is going to force an election after the budget, so Conservative MP’s should be on their best behaviour in public,and Guergis knows this!
The Conservatives have governed like “Liberal-lite” for the last three years, and they are starting to lose the support of their base. I’ve heard people who are long time Conservatives voicing their dissatisfaction with the stance on AGW and cap and trade,on which Harper seems no different than Ignatieff.
There has been NO recognition by the government of the scandals surrounding the whole AGW movement,not a word from Jim Prentice. The Party faithful are beginning to lose faith.
Maybe the budget will give us some idea of how the government now views Kyoto/Copenhagen,and a sign that some of the voices of sanity are being heard by the PM’s office.
I don’t want to have to get used to; Prime Minister Ignatieff, Deputy PM Duceppe, Finance Minister Layton, and Senator May.
Didn’t a certain Premier get arrested for drunk driving once? Doesn’t seem to have hurt his career so much.
If she had of got caught driving under the influence the MSM wouldn’t make a peep. Better yet she should join some radical feminist’s group and chain the doors to a civic center closed and hold the people hostage apparently those stories weren’t worth mentioning for more than a few seconds. MSM biased, oh say it isn’t so.
Adrian you have to watch this video, I nearly peed myself.
Link: http://www.redbalcony.com/?vid=18871
Can you imagine how low Iggy’d be polling if MSM wasn’t shilling for him 24/7?
Rose,
I think I saw that SNL skit live. He’s surprisingly good as a straight-faced comedian.
“Does anyone else despair at the state of Canadian media when after they finish with Ms Guergis they’ll go back to writing the navel-gazers about why women don’t seem to be entering politics and wonder why?”
Yeah, and the fact that she threw a temper tantrum in a public place has nothing to do with it.
You’re seriously trying to spin this so it’s the media’s fault?
This woman has no business being in public office, no matter what her political beliefs.