More Liberal Party Hypocrisy

For someone whose personal moral and ethical values were trumpeted as illustrative of just how great a leader of the Liberal party he would be (and, presumably future prime minister of the country), Stephane Dion is demonstrating he's not averse to dropping said values when he deems the cause justified. Isn't that called political expediency? Don't we view that as hypocrisy? Isn't that the primary reason that we love to loathe our politicians?

Consider the matter of Canada's 2001 anti-terror law brought in by the former Liberal government headed by Jean Chretien in the immediate response to the 9/11 attacks. Two provisions seen as 'troubling' were 'sunseted' with a five-year clause and as a result the current Conservative-led government tabled a motion to extend the provisions for an additional three years. A move which the Liberals agreed with originally, but which they precipitately now disagree with.

Their new disagreement is based on the claim that the provisions give extraordinary powers to Canadian authorities, yet they have never been used, despite the alarums raised by civil liberties groups, along with the NDP and the Bloc. Former minister of justice Irwin Cotler who himself had reservations initially admits this and is now among those Liberals who continue to support their renewal.

He's not the only one; rumours have it that fully one-half of the Liberal caucus is divided over the issue. Former deputy prime minister John Manley also weighed in on the issue to echo dissent from within the Liberal party: "I believe that cabinet and Parliament got the balance right in 2001-02. And I do not believe that anything has changed to make that balance inappropriate today," he declared.

Here's the new leader of the Liberal party not listening to his own caucus, intent on mischief, accusing the Conservative government of attempting to erode civil rights in Canada, when it was a former Liberal government that brought in the Anti-terrorism Act for a good reason, fully supported by all members of the House (with the addition of the sunset clause). Anything goes in his determination to erode support for the government.

Ironically enough it would appear that if those very provisions of the Anti-terrorism Act are allowed to expire, so will a key investigative tool advancing the 1985 Air India bombing probe. The RCMP's Air India task force would be looking at scrapping their special investigative hearings allowed under the act if the provisions expire. Every Canadian identifies the Air India bombing as the worst act of terrorism to have occurred in this country.

Three hundred and thirty-one innocent Canadians died as a result of that dreadful event. Former Ontario premier Bob Rae, a rival for the federal Liberal leadership against Mr. Dion, who headed an enquiry to review the Air India case feels many MPs don't understand the standing of the act in furthering the Air India probe. The investigation, in the works since 2003, could culminate in a successful prosecution of those responsible for the tragedy.

But such insignificant details aren't stopping Stephane Dion.