Everyone who's anyone in federal politics is in Atlantic Canada today. While Stephen Harper was in Yarmouth, NS., Stéphane Dion was on the other side of the Bay of Fund in Dieppe, NB.
While in Dieppe, Dion accused Harper of using a racially charged phrase when responding to a question I asked him two weeks ago while he was campaigning in Iqalauit.
Harper was up there to announce the creation of a new northern Canada regional economic development agency. I put it to him that such agencies were prone to pork barrel abuse in the past by the Liberals and, you could make the case, by his own government.
In his response, he said, there was some merit to some of the historic criticism and then said “What we have found is that while regional development agencies can go off the reservation — can go in some bad directions — they also tend to be pretty good compared to most federal bureaucracies at actually having a handle on what local development needs really are.”
My colleague Juliet O'Neil, travelling with Dion campaign, reports this afternoon:
“You know that he doesn’t believe in our regional agencies like ACOA (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) and he said recently offensive language about aboriginal peoples, showing that he — I don’t want to repeat what he said, I don’t want to say that,” Dion said. “I just want to say that we will bring back the Kelowna accord to ensure that aboriginal people in Canada will be partners to have a strong Canada.”
Manitoba Liberal Tina Keeper, an aboriginal TV star, demanded an apology from Harper last week for “his use of an insulting and demeaning term to criticize regional development agencies.”
You can listen here to my question and Harper's response which contained the phrase the Liberals that some Liberals found offensive. [You'll need Apple's QuickTime to listen to this]
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Atlantic Canada, conservatives, liberals, scandals
“Manitoba Liberal Tina Keeper, an aboriginal TV star, demanded an apology from Harper last week for “his use of an insulting and demeaning term to criticize regional development agencies.”
Oh, please, Ms. Keeper, take a pill. And that goes for everybody else demanding apologies. We have become a nation of insufferably whiny and hyperalgesic wimps.
What's up with the 2 week delay on releasing this information?
your link for your soundbite doesn't work. Would you please fix it. I would like to listen to it. Thanks.
Maybe because there was NOTHING to report?
That there was NO racist comment?
That this post by Mr. Akin is in reaction to a Liberal complaint about some perceived insult that didn't actually take place?
If you listened to the audio of that presser, you heard an approving reaction from Premier Okalik (?) to the PM's answer to the question. If there had been anything racist said, would he have reacted that way? I doubt it.
This is just another example of the Liberals' desperation.
Sorry, the previous comment was in reply to Mr. McClelland's question.
The file is a QuickTime movie. To listen, download Apple's QuickTime. It's free.
Dear Gabby
Pls explain why we are to believe:
on one hand that the PM's apology to Aboriginal Canadians was a landmark event, like he himself suggests
on the other that when the PM uses language that at least one Aboriginal Canadian (Ms Keeper), though I suspect their are more, that it is just whiny and she should 'take a pill'. I thought the point of the apology was to forge a relationship built on respect.
Dear Seaandthemountains,
Do you know whether Ms. Keeper was present during the alleged racist comment?
Probably not, since it was a Conservative event.
The premier of Nunavut WAS present, however; he heard PM Harper's speech, and was apparently not offended by anything said by the PM, because otherwise it surely would have been reported and received ample play in the news.
You see, just because one uses the word “black” it doesn't mean one is being racist. Likewise, just because one uses “going off the reservation” or something to that effect, one is not making a racist comment.
If I had a dollar for each time the Liberals demanded an apology whenever the PM or any other Conservative opens his /her mouth, I'd be flush with cash.
The delayed reaction from the Liberals, and Ms. Keener as the designated officially offended party, was IMO nothing more than additional partisan attacks, which are becoming ever more wearying.
Robert, maybe the question that should be asked is why Stephane Dion and Ms. Keeper took 2 weeks to decide that they were offended by these remarks?
Could it be that Stephane Dion needed to find and convince someone that they ought to be offended, and then turn them into a Liberal crusader?
Personally, I would take that comment to mean that one is leaving a safe, secure and responsible position in favor of something daring and adventurous. How are either of those comparisons a bad thing?