On deflection
Shorter Preston Manning: Mike Duffy openly flouted the Parliamentary Press Gallery’s rules for years by seeking to trade his celebrity for a patronage appointment. When Stephen Harper was the only…
shorter
On questionable remedies
Shorter Donald Johnson: My preferred cure for poverty and inequality is…tax breaks for rich people! (And if anybody’s asking, I’ll be happy to prescribe the same course of treatment for…
Reconciliation fail
Shorter Joe Oliver: We Conservatives are so committed to building trust and relationships with First Nations, we feel we can safely ignore a report saying we’re failing miserably on all…
On status quo proposals
Shorter Doug Saunders: I’m suspicious of the role of mere members in shaping party policy. And also of the role rogue MPs might play in shaping decision-making. In fact, what…
On selective endpoints
Shorter Andrew Coyne: If you ignore the actual recent rail disaster that blew up a town, there’s little apparent risk of rail disasters. So let’s keep assuming the likelihood of…
On revolting logic
Shorter Terence Corcoran: A Spanish-style tax revolt to defund government is the only way for Ontario and Quebec residents to avoid the fiscal disaster caused by the Spanish tax revolt.
On measured responses
Shorter Enbridge, responding to the revelation that a tidy 94% of its Canadian pumping stations are missing required backup generators and/or shut-off buttons: So the question is whether we’ll take…
Juxtaposition
Shorter tar sands shills trying to get the general public to do their PR work: Our oil industry affects every single Canadian from coast to coast to coast. Speak up…
On sick strategies
Shorter Harper Cons: The public-service beatings will continue until employee wellness improves.
On misdirection
Shorter Konrad Yakabuski: If only unions had let themselves be brow-beaten into accepting less wages and security for their members, then surely our corporate overlords would have granted greater wages…
On clarifications
Shorter Fred DeLorey: Silly media, wasting its time asking whether we Cons were polling over gerrymandering Saskatchewan riding boundaries. That would involve caring about respondents’ opinions. The word you’re looking…
On predetermination
Shorter Brent Rathgeber: What government backbencher would dare consider asking the Parliamentary Budget Officer for information if he can’t suppress any inconvenient findings? I’d rather stay ignorant, thank you very…
It takes a Village
Shorter John Ivison: I consider it a sign of profound unseriousness that Romeo Saganash and the NDP want to give effect to an international treaty which might result in indigenous…
Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Tim Harper writes about Tom Mulcair’s success in building the NDP up as the leading alternative to the Cons for Canadian voters:…
On abdications of duty
Shorter Gerry Ritz:If unscrupulous businesses want to fleece Canadian suckers consumers, far be it from we Conservatives to stand in their way.
On questionable advice
Shorter Zach Paikin:In order to avoid the fate of the Ignatieff Libs, the NDP should totally abandon any principles and re-run Ignatieff's "we stand for nothing, but at least we're…
On special treatment
Shorter Brad Wall: Based on my close personal connection to Stephen Harper developed through years of shameless toadyism, I alone can assure you that he won’t be playing favourites among…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – I’ll follow up with one extra note from Mark Carney’s address to the CAW – as the headlines seem to have missed…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Dan Gardner rightly notes that we should be encouraging more public advocacy from charities and other groups with useful input to offer into…