Baird Accuses Liberal MP of Lobbying

Bully Boy John Baird launched a scathing attack against Liberal MP Derek Lee today - going as far as accusing Lee of lobbying on behalf of (scary-sounding) "foreign organizations". From what I can gather, Baird was blustering about Lee's bio on the Sun & Partners site - a firm he joined in 2007.

Mr. Lee's valuable contributions to our clients include acting for foreign and offshore organizations in obtaining operating licenses, securing regulatory and governmental approvals for mergers and acquisitions, reviewing policies and conduct of Canadian Security Intelligence Services, advising government bodies on international issues regarding cross border tax collection, antidumping issues, and lobbying government on policy issues as well as facilitating inter-governmental relationships.

You'll remember Derek Lee as being the opposition MP who had the audacity to call for a point of privilege in parliament over the Afghan detainee document issue - a ruling he won.

These Cons will do everything they can to smear anybody who threatens their supremacy.

We'll see how this plays out...

Update:

The web site text has changed since this story broke. Lee says it was inaccurate wording, done without his knowledge, and that he is going to meet with the ethics commissioner to discuss this.
 

This week in Conservatives behaving badly...

- The Cons have stripped Helena Guergis of the chance to run in her riding without, she claims in a letter to the party, providing any reason for the decision. She is also scheduled to testify, along with her husband Rahim Jaffer, at the government operations committee on June 9th. The Cons have been crowing about how the Liberal party has apparently subverted "democracy" by whipping the upcoming vote on the long gun registry (because they've never whipped a vote, now have they?) and then they turn around and refuse to allow the people of Guergis' riding to decide whether she should represent them? Hypocrites.

- Calgary Northeast Con MP Devinder Shory has been named in a suit by BMO alleging "massive mortgage fraud". Will the Cons kick him out of their caucus too? Stay tuned. (Update: the answer to that is no. Shory gets to stay on.)

- "Shut the fuck up" - advice given by Con senator Nancy Ruth to womens' groups. It's not that the Cons actually hate women. It's just that they abhor anything resembling equality for women - especially poor women. They rebooted the culture war over abortion and now they claim that they don't want to talk about it. During the last two weeks, the Cons have cut funding to 24 womens' groups. They should change their party slogan to "Barefoot and pregnant - that's how we like our women". It isn't just a "culture of deceit" being propagated by the Cons - it's a "culture of conceit".

- So, what do the Cons do when they've been caught with their pants down running circles around their own "accountability" law? They blame Liberals, of course - the same Liberals who introduced a motion which passed unanimously in the house on Wednesday to fix the Cons' mistakes. They're like kids who get caught with their hands in the cookie jar and then blame their sister. And that's exactly the image to keep in mind when you watch John "Bully" Baird trying to bluster his party's faults away daily during question period by moving the goalposts whenever an opposition MP points out the Cons' hypocrisy. One would think that anyone who had any actual integrity would refuse to be the token party bouncer but Baird obviously subscribes to the "STFU" policy of his daddy, Stephen Harper.

- "Steeping His Ass Off" Gate.
 

Baird Behaving Badly

Yes, I realize that behaving badly is John "Bully" Baird's natural state, but here's the fallout from his latest outburst:

Federal Transportation Minister John Baird apologized to Toronto Mayor David Miller this morning after Baird greeted the city's application for streetcar cash with a profane "f... off."

...

The request for money to buy 204 new streetcars — the city applied under Ottawa's $4 billion economic stimulus fund — was shot down yesterday by Baird who was in Whistler B.C.

In an unguarded moment, Baird told aides that Toronto stood alone in not meeting the technical criteria for federal cash, yet was complaining about Ottawa dragging its feet.

"Twenty-seven hundred people got it right. They didn't. That is not a partnership and they're bitching at us," he said.

Then Baird said: "They should f--- off."

Daddy Steve, who loves having absolute control over all of his ministers and Con party MPs, must be pulling his helmet hair out. It's been a very unruly day.

Related:

Baird covered up for beleaguered Lisa Raitt: NDP
 

Quote du Jour: Shovel-ready Baird

Comment by Nova Scotia Liberal MP Michael Savage in response to the Cons using John Baird as their bullying frontman during Question Period today to fend off opposition party complaints about the EI system:

"The only thing that's shovel-ready are the answers from this minister."

Ramen.

Caution: Flying bullshit

I'll Take 'Conservative Spies' for $500, Alex

Question: Sunday's winner of the Conservative Weasel of the Day award

Answer (in the form of a question a la Jeopardy™): Who is "the Conservative member" who secretly taped Jack Layton's caucus call?

According to the audio tape, Layton appears to take credit for the possibility of a coalition.

"Let's just say we have strategies. This whole thing would not have happened if the moves hadn't been made with the Bloc a long time ago and locked them in early," Layton says. "Because, you couldn't put three people together in one or three hours. The first part was done a long time ago."

He then goes on to say that the NDP "spotted and prepared for the opportunity and had taken the steps that were required, so that when the opportunity arose, which was when Mr. Harper made his disastrous strategic error by not providing stimulus to the economy and instead playing political games, we were able to move and things began to move very quickly."

Layton also says about the Bloc: "Nothing could be better for our country than to have 50 members who have been elected to separate Quebec...actually helping to make Canada a better place."

The standard denial was issued, of course, and legal action against the person who recorded the conversation is being looked into.

Who knew this fall session would be so much fun?

In related news, Daddy Deficit has now bumped up budget day to January 27 and John "Pit Bull" Baird announced that the Cons are backing down from taking away strike privileges. That's Baird once again acting as Steve's spokespuppet - the Transport minister. What's wrong with this picture?

How do you spell scramble? These days it's spelled C-o-n-s-e-r-v-a-t-i-v-e.

And how do you spell subpoena? Stay tuned.

Update:

Details of proposed Liberal-NDP coalition emerge

A Liberal-NDP coalition agreement that would replace the minority Conservative government was being fleshed out Sunday night, the CBC has learned.

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion has shown the outline of an agreement between his party and the New Democratic Party to Liberal leadership candidates Michael Ignatieff, Dominic LeBlanc and Bob Rae, the CBC's Keith Boag reported, citing sources.

"They're discussing this tonight in Toronto," he said from Ottawa.

The NDP would hold 25 per cent of cabinet positions, Boag said, adding that the finance minister and the deputy prime minister would be Liberals.

The Bloc Québécois would not officially be a part of the coalition, but the new government's survival would depend on their support, he said.

The Harper government could prorogue Parliament to block the coalition efforts, but "that'd be a very, very dramatic step given the government has taken the position there'll be a budget early in January," Boag said.

"The real obstacle to this deal going through is still within the Liberal party," Boag said, adding the deal is being negotiated by Dion, who believes he has the right to be prime minister.

But it's unclear whether the party wants him to continue, and the leadership candidates were meeting Sunday evening to discuss the matter, Boag said.

Canwest reports:

The National Post reported that Michael Ignatieff is to become prime minister in a Liberal-led coalition if the opposition parties do bring down the Conservatives in a no-confidence vote next week. It went on to say that outgoing Liberal Leader Stephane Dion would step aside and that leadership Bob Rae would receive a senior cabinet post. The Post reports that the plan will be presented to the Liberal caucus Monday afternoon.

But a spokesman for Bob Rae categorically denied Sunday night that Rae has agreed to step aside to make room for Ignatieff and said that Dion was not even at the meeting where the purported deal was said to have been hatched.

Also Sunday night, there were media reports which said that the Liberals and NDP had agreed on sharing cabinet seats, although there were conflicting reports on the number of portfolios each party would get.

Whatever's going on, the Liberals had better get their ducks in a row quickly by getting these leadership egos out of the way if what they're up to is truly for the good of the country. We've had enough politicking this year, thank you very much.

And, here's more of who might have recorded the NDP caucus call:

Harper's spokesman Kory Teneycke said the PMO was inadvertently given the co-ordinates to the teleconference call between Layton and his caucus. Teneycke said he would "leave it to others" to decide if it were ethical to tape the conversation and to distribute it.

There you go. It was the PMO's office. Busted. They wouldn't know the definition of "ethical" if it slapped them in the face. No wonder they have no shame about what they've done.