Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Prime Minister's Remarks Taken Out of Context

Oh the howls of outrage from the usual suspects again. This time a  remark that PM Stephen Harper made during a press conference in Surrey B.C. David McGuinty, Liberal MP, attacked the PM accusing him of using the Japan tragedy for "cheap partisan purposes."
His remarks Tuesday were immediately blasted by a senior Liberal MP, who accused the prime minister of using the Japanese tragedy for “cheap, partisan purposes” and that the disaster has nothing to do with the decision Canadian MPs will soon make over whether voters should go to the polls.
The thing is McQuinty took the remark out of context. PM Harper was responding to a question from a reporter on how the tragedy in Japan could possibly affect our economy.  Here is what the PM actually said.
“Well, we’re obviously looking at all those things very carefully,” he said. “Our first concern, in fairness, is with all of those people who have lost their lives, and obviously all of their families and literally at this point, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who are homeless.
“So our first concern as a government is anything we can do to help Japanese authorities with this crisis.”
As for the wider implications of the disaster, Harper said the global economic impact remains unknown. He said he didn’t think there would be any “immediate economic impacts” on Canada, although he noted that the stock market took a hit.
“All of these things should remind everybody, should remind everybody in Canada and should remind all the parties in Parliament that the global economy remains extremely fragile,” said Harper.
“It does not take very much to make us all — not just in Canada, the United States all around the world — to make everybody very worried about what’s coming next in the economy.
“We’ve been through a difficult time. It’s getting better. It’s still quite fragile. So I don’t want to predict how that’s going to unfold. I think the Japanese will find their way of coping, but the fact of the matter is this should be a wake-up that we cannot afford to take our focus off the economy and get into a bunch of unnecessary political games. Or, as I said, an opportunistic, unnecessary election that nobody is asking for.”
 Turn this around. Who is using the PM's remarks for "cheap partisan purposes?"  David McQuinty, listen to yourself!  Aren't you being partisan?

8 comments:

  1. It has gotten out of hand. So much so that people are not even listening anymore. There are quite frankly more important people with more important problems right now to worry about what a few opposition backbenchers are griping about.

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  2. Actually, the PM appears to be citing the fragile world economy as a reason to have stable government and not the uncertainty that is characteristic of elections. His remark has nothing to do with Japan.

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  3. According to your logic, anytime there is an event in another country, Canada should suspend elections or other facets of our Democracy until the event disappears, or is no longer an issue.

    That is exactly what Harper is saying in a roundabout way. He is using the horrific tragedy in another country as an excuse to hang on to power.

    Harper is playing a cheap political game. And imagine that, the master chess player who accuses the Liberals of this very thing, is now doing it himself.

    And, were the Opposition to force an election, what is the difference between Harper (Liberal Lite) and the real Liberals. So maybe an election would be redundent.

    Harper is a chump and scared to death of an election. And he should be considering he could not even squeak out a majority against bumbling Dion.

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  4. Your assertion that Harper is trying to "hang on to power" is laughable. I have not seen any poll anywhere indicating he would lose power in an election. Where have you been? You aren't that Geico guy that lives under a rock, are you?

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  5. And the term "Geico Guy" is born. Gotta love it!!

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  6. 'anytime there is an event in another country, Canada should suspend elections'

    when the event 'could' effect Canadians,yes.

    BC residents are very concerned, the entire westcoast of north america is sitting on a GIANT fault line.
    And no one knows for sure if the danger is over.

    Plus, our markets fell $400 in one day, that was as drastic as some days during the 08-09 economic crisis.

    Canadians want a stable government governing at times like this.

    If you don't get that anon,
    perhaps you are one of those Liberals who wants an election just to get rid of Iffy before he damages your party even more.

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  7. The coalition will drive our economy down the tubes.
    If the PM was worried about himself and his conservatives without an iota of a thought for canada like the liberals were doing for themselves only, the PM would have brought up
    - the Trudeau's 200billion debt to canada
    -the liberal billions of dollars scandal
    -Chretien signing onto KYOTO but failed to implement it
    -The mention of the coalition consisting of: Socialist, marxist and LPOC the most corrupt party in canadian history and so on.
    He the PM will stop at nothing to ruin the opposition internationally if he was for himself, but he thought about CANADA the PM of Canada, not the PM of the conservatives nor does he work for the liberals but for all canadians, that is why he kept his mouth shut refrain from attacking the liberals in the international scene.

    BOB RAE bashed his own country and the PM on UAE soil; as did Ignatieff who said "Canada is disgusting" on european soil.
    Liz May said "Canadians are stupid"
    Liz May plastered our country IN Copenhengan.

    When MPS plaster their own country overseas; they don't deserve respect.

    David Mc Guinty's own brother Dalton is screwing up Ontario; the debt alone there is huge yet he goes after the Harper conservatives.

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  8. Wilson:

    Are you serious?

    You would not have an election because BC sits on a fault line! With that logic, I guess Canadians have seen their last election and "Steve" has finally got his wish of being the permanent leader of the natural governing party.

    The TSX did fall 400 points on the 10th, but that is nothing near the 7,000 points the market fell in the 08/09 crash. Canada will do nothing but prosper from the Japanese tragedy because of the need for our resources. If I were you, I would change my broker.

    And, if Harper were so sure of gaining a majority, why use the Japanese crisis to try scare off the Opposition from tabling a non-confidence motion after the budget.

    The truth is that Harper does not have a majority, and he will use any political game to hold power. And for that, he is a chump!

    FYI, I am a registered Conservative and a significant donor!

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