Tuesday, November 24, 2009

If only Bob Rae were this passionate about Harper's income trust scandal


Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic Bob Rae is quoted in a Liberal Press Release of today, as saying:

“Just as the Prime Minister hides behind photo-ops instead of taking questions in Parliament, his government is hiding behind the veil of national security to save itself from scrutiny,”. “If they have nothing to hide, then release the evidence and the public can decide.”

Harper withheld his “proof” of tax leakage from public view citing the same lame argument about National Security. I have yet to hear Bob Rae say a single word about that? Would that have anything to do with the fact that his brother, John Rae, works for Power Corporation and Power Corporation lobbied extensively to kill income trusts?

Why the double standard on disclosure, Mr. Rae? Is losing $35 billion of Canadians life savings based on a patent falsehood (ie tax leakage) acceptable in the way that Afghan detainee torture is not? How about defending the rights of Canadians here at home as well as foreigners abroad, Mr. Rae? Or are you more beholding to the Desmarais’s than you are the average Joe Blow on the street.?

Why is this concept of yours applied selectively? Concepts that are only applied selectively aren’t principles, they are excuses. What is your excuse?

“If they have nothing to hide, then release the evidence and the public can decide.”

Why are the Liberals allowing Harper to get away with his income trust fraud?

Who do the Liberals actually represent? Canadians-at-large or closely-held commercial interests?

7 comments:

Dr Mike said...

I am afraid it`s the same old story --- big business runs the show.

They have the juice & when they see an opportunity to use it , then it is a lights-out done deal with the result in their favor.

I always thought the big business/gov`t "thing" was nothing more than a wild conspiracy theory from some old hippie wack jobs.

After experiencing the income trust body crushing first hand , I now know better.

I never knew that the words "make it so" uttered by certain people in high places could be that powerful.

Dr Mike

Anonymous said...

One word explanation: Hypocrite.

George Mason said...

ON WHEN TORTURE ISN'T EVIL
"...in a situation of extreme necessity, the possibility, even a slight possibility, that it [torture] may reveal some life saving result would almost certainly overwhelm any consideration that it is evil." - Michael Ignatieff, The Gifford Lectures, University of Edinburgh, January 2003

ON HOW DEMOCRACIES SHOULD JUSTIFY TORTURE
"The use of coercive force in a liberal democracy...is regarded as a lesser evil. This particular view of democracy does not prohibit emergency suspensions of rights in times of terror. But it imposes an obligation on government to justify such measures publicly, to submit them to judicial review, and to circumscribe them with sunset clauses so that they do not become permanent." - Michael Ignatieff, The Lesser Evil: Political ethics in an age of terror, Princeton University Press, 2004

DION'S WIFE

"To justify violence, he must have really given it serious thought. Otherwise, that's very dangerous. What guarantee would there be that he wouldn't change his mind again?" - Terrorism and counter-terrorism scholar Dr. Janine Krieber, Facebook message as reprinted in Toronto Star, 21 November 2009

Anonymous said...

Great post.

Is this the next poll question? (Last paragraph.)
I vote the Liberal party actually represents commercial interests.

Go Dr. Janine Krieber.

Anonymous said...

"Why are the Liberals allowing Harper to get away with his income trust fraud?"

Because now, THEY, (Les Liberales-OR-Les Miserables) won't have to do the dirty deed themselves, (remember former Liberal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale's effort). That is, of course, should they ever win another election over the next 25 years! Doesn't look too promising at the moment!

Fransman

Anonymous said...

We are one election away from being a Banana Republic with Stevie Longnose as our President. !!!!!!

Jerrthebear

Anonymous said...

Disingenuous.

Likely Rae doesn't speak out on your issue because it's not his area/portfolio. Simple as that.