Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Everything explained

by Aaron Wherry on Friday, October 16, 2009 6:00pm - 90 Comments

An anonymous Conservative MP helps us understand why his or her side simply had to buy its own giant novelty cheques, and all the money they are saving you in the process.

When we formed govt the crats stopped bringing cheques to announcements & we were FORCED to cough up the $ to buy our own. Specifically, at [a government department I was involved with] the crats used to like to be in the photo ops giving out chqs, as though it was coming from them. They detested Conservatives being photographed handing out chqs, so they stopped bringing the chqs – when they even bothered to show up for announcements. They’ve screwed up dates for announcements so badly (trying to schedule announcements while the House is in session) that we don’t even bother to include them, thereby saving taxpayers thousands of $s in travel claims from the crats.

Tags: government advertising, infrastructure, novelty cheques, political advertising, stimulus

More by Aaron Wherry

http://intensedebate.com/people/psiclone psiclone

Thanks for the link : and indeed as usual Steven is right! although I have one question = what is a crat?

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

bureaucrat

Foreigner

"Crat" is a Conservative MP avoidance technique when he/she doesn't know how to spell "bureau."

http://skinnydips.blogspot.com Skinny Dipper

It's "beer-o-crat" in Cons English.

"Mmm, beer-o-crat." Minister Homer J. Simpson.

Andrew (not P or C)

So, anonymous CPC MPs are paranoid.

The 'crats are out to getchya!

And the indignity of having to pay for partisan propaganda materials (that are against TBoC guidelines)!

RayK

That's exactly what I thought. This sounds nearly delusional.

Bureaucrats answer to ministers. That doesn't mean they have no power, but if you're talking about something as simple and direct as planning events and printing up cheques, you give your subordinate clear instructions and they simply refuse to follow them then you let them go.

Guest

They were forced to pay for the novelty cheques…..with their MP funds? (also taxpayer-funded) or out of the party?
Lord Kitchener's Own

Is there anyone NOT out to get the Tories?

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Yo Yo Ma

Sigh

Give him time.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Nothing is ever their fault or responsibility. Ever.

(Does anyone know if "crats" is a longstanding Ottawa term? If not, just another bit to confirm the contempt these jokers hold for our government and institutions.)
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Nothing is their fault or responsibility. Ever.

(Does anyone know if "crats" is a longstanding Ottawa term? If not, just another bit to confirm the contempt these jokers hold for our government and institutions.)

http://intensedebate.com/people/PhilCP PhilCP

Crats is a musical composed by Stephen Harper based on writings of Preston Manning. It introduced the song standard "With A Little Help From My Friends"

The musical first opened in the Engalnd centuries ago, then in Ottawa in 1867……

Crats has been performed around the world in numerous productions and has been translated into more than 20 languages. It was also made into a 1998 video that has been broadcast on television

Thanks to Wiki

http://intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

LOL!
MJ Patchouli

I think the actual spelling is CRATS! or maybe CRATZ!

Style

Crats is a longstanding Ottawa term, so no need to think these jokers hold any contempt for your government or institutions. The choice of endearment is either (bureau)crats or (civil) servants.

http://www.intensedebate.com/people/SeanStok SeanStok

Thanks! (Though it was hardly the linchpin of my 'contempt' theory.)

http://intensedebate.com/people/sea_n_mountains sea_n_mountains

[polldaddy 2131055 http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/2131055/ polldaddy]

http://intensedebate.com/people/Tceh Tceh

Poor baby Cons. Does the Anonymous CON MP understand it's not his money? It sounds like he doesn't. They are handing TAXPAYER dollars back to the TAXPAYER and the TAXPAYERS aren't grateful when they hand TAXPAYER dollars back. And the 'Crats' hate them too! Booo Hooo!

http://intensedebate.com/people/avr avr

Do the bureaucrats understand that it's not their money?

Andrew (not P or C)

I haven't seen them claiming they were delivering money to ridings.

And of course, we should hold these MPs to a lower standard than 7 year olds. 'Sally did it first' doesn't wash.

http://intensedebate.com/people/wmabey wmabey

I'm guessing he's afraid the budget for novelty cheques will cut into the budget for ten percenters.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Ed_Sweeney Ed_Sweeney

Aaron Wherry quoting Steven Taylor, quoting an anonymous source. Sterling.

fawlty

Isn't that like Mark Steyn quoting Warren Kinsella, quoting a "Liberal insider"…. whoa *blinks* i think the universe might implode if these two stories came out simultaneously.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

Just wait, given time I'm sure Dakota will find a way to call this as anti-conservative, biased reporting.

It comes from Wherry after all.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SisyphusThis SisyphusThis

Anonymous Con ….. is that like the economists-without-names (h/t Dean Baker) that some
media are always quoting ?
Terren

''crats''? Seriously

Andrew (not P or C)

Reminds me of 'Canuckistan'. It is the badge of people who I can usually safely ignore.

Foreigner

I wouldn't surprised if that whole story is made up.

fawlty

I surprised too that not to the grammar corrected.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Ed_Sweeney Ed_Sweeney

The entire thread is like touring downtown Detroit in an AMC Pacer, quality abounds.

Foreigner

And what kind of ethically-bankrupt elected official asks a blogger to confer anonymity for something as like this?
Ted

This must be worrying them. Going to DefCon3 already.
Style

You know, I suspect this MP accidentally doesn't get invited to lots of events by lots of different people…"oh sorry, yeah, we moved the policy conference to Montreal at the last moment. Sorry, I told Jim to tell Pam to tell someone to tell you…"
Dave

What do these nits have against Crats? That Zoobomafoo show was the best thing on tv for a while.
Anon

So, the Crats forced the Cons to … wait a second, how did this clearly illiterate MP get elected?

http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

He ran in Calgary.

wilson

So why don't the crats, who apparently control everything, have printed up some standard photo-op cardboard cheques?

Yes, government issue props would be the answer!
wilson

Regulation size, color, logo…fill in the blanks with project name.
http://skinnydips.blogspot.com Skinny Dipper

Thank God that Stephen Harper is the prime minister of the Cheque Republic. Dobry Den!

Dave

Does this mean he's just visiting?

And if so did he bring his Czechbook?

http://skinnydips.blogspot.com Skinny Dipper

Harper might need a visa if he visits Canada.
knick

Sure glad somebody got all this cleared up. I've never seen so much fuss over nothing more than "Keddy's lapse". Don't we all look silly now for making a big deal about it.

knick

But, there's that pesky 'mea culpa' – http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/10/16/mea-culpa-2/

http://intensedebate.com/people/madeyoulook madeyoulook

Gee, thanks for all that money-saving, keeping the "crats" away. Now, ahem, could we do something about NOT SENDING the MP either? Maybe, dare I dream, because the federal government will be NOT SENDING the couple of million to each of so many of these hockey-rink and city-hall refurb jobs in the friggin' first place?

dan in van

Now for the $million$ tax-payer funded ad campaign to tell us that Harper's CONs bought their own cheques, unlike those of Pearson, Trudeau and Chretien…

petetong83

As a bureaucrat, I find nothing more rediculous than when a politician places the blame on the bureaucracy. Trust me, delays are not caused by a lazy bureaucracy but by a lack of direction (or conflicting direction) from Ministers' Offices, political indecision, and ill-thought out plans pushed forward by PMO/PO. Bureaucrats do not decide the timing of announcements – that is definitely decided by politicians. Anyone who has worked in a government communications branch knows that political communications staff are heavily involved and have final say over such things. But anyone who has worked in a government communications branch can also tell you that political communications staff are bad at communicating with their colleagues.
Political staffers please respond, but first indicate your age and the number of years you have worked in a professional environment (note, being a Liberal Party outreach coordinator, or Young LIberal President, does not count).

fawlty

As a taxpayer, I would find it doubly ridiculous if you posted this while on the job.

http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

C'mon – this is a ploy by Taylor

kcm

Yeah, a real dumb one…or…i can see those heads nodding out there. " Told you so, Haper's right…nothing but a lazy bunch a socialists…i say torch the place."!

http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

In equally trustworthy news, a conservative MP who wishes to remain anonymous just reported to me that, as in the budget and approved by the government, the conservatives will be selling the hitherto unnamed assets to the conservative party for a tidy sum, but will then have to lease the sold assets back for an amount that works out to approximately double the value over the next three years.