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

'This language is not me'

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 10:28pm - 106 Comments

In a press release distributed by his office earlier today, Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz was quoted as likening the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to a cult and using some colourful language to lament Michael Ignatieff’s position on the gun registry.

“Mr. Ignatieff’s hollow offer to amend the registry is a plastic olive branch that’s causing amusement and amazement with Canadian gun owners,” says Breitkreuz. “His attempt to force members of his caucus to vote against the bill is politically transparent. Imagine demanding eight members of your caucus to suddenly abandon the wishes of their constituents. This leader is a bully who may well be committing political suicide. With tactics like this, I doubt he’ll be missed on either side of the House … the Liberal leader is trying to completely change the game in the House of Commons. It’s an act of desperation that insults the intellect of Canadians. His true colours are showing, and if his caucus has any integrity, those colours should be black and blue.”

And so, Mr. Breitkreuz would like to apologize. And to explain that he didn’t write those things. And he has no idea “how that got out of here.”

Tags: Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, firearms, Garry Breitkreuz, gun registry, guns, Michael Ignatieff

More by Aaron Wherry

John D

"This language is not me"

“In the Fifties, buggery was a criminal offence. Now it’s a requirement to receive benefits from the federal government.” Garry Breitkreuz, National Post, Nov. 21, 2000

Jan

He was passed the torch from Randy White.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Halo_Override Halo_Override

I just might repost that quote in every Breitkreuz thread.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Open_Democracy Open_Democracy

Maybe one of Helena's office assistants wrote it to deflect some of the media heat off of his/her boss.

Or does she have office staff now that she's been shunted to the Independents?

http://viableopposition.blogspot.com/

http://intensedebate.com/people/Ottawa_Centrist Ottawa_Centrist

Well he is the same MP who penned a letter calling for the rise of all gun owners to resist the unholy, illegal coalition by all means necessary.

I would say this is a step down from his call to arms against the constitution.

http://intensedebate.com/people/CanadianSense CanadianSense

Stop using facts, it is unfair.

The Liberals Plan B is to save the remaining urban ridings is more important than those 8 seats in the woods.
http://battlelight.blogspot.com/ HitEleven

The Conservatives always seem to find a way to mess up. Just when the public was getting fed up with Helena Guergis, another MP screws up and makes them look bad. And once again our PM will defend said PM until it's no longer politically expedient.

See Ignatieff and Harper in action in QP over this issue at http://battlelight.blogspot.com.
Rousifier

Articulate, understated, correct and perceptive. Were I a mouth-breathing Liberal, I'd memorize the passage and swear to my friends and family that I wrote it myself.
Emily

I'll bet Breitkreuz's ears are still bleeding after Harper's phone call on THAT one! He sure reversed himself in a hurry, and with a totally unbelievable excuse.

No wonder normal people consider all Conservative mentally deranged!
FVerhoeven

"No wonder normal people consider all Conservative mentally deranged! "

I love those kinda answers. Makes you look real smart.
Margaret

I don't think so – I would say that Harper knew full well that it was going out. That's their strategy most of the time. They (Harper) will get someone else to come out and say something that's out of bounds, and then there's an "apology". But the strategy is that the words got out there, and they're floating around in the media. Just as when Harper attacked Ignatieff's patriotism while he was in Europe for the G8? meeting — and then said "Oh – oops. My Press Secretary (the slime Soudas) gave me the wrong quotation".
It didn't matter that it was wrongly attributed – what matters was that the words got out into the ether. It's happened repeatedly.
They don't care whether the info is outrageous or wrong, they just want it out there; and then they pretend to apologize. In the words of Harper's mentor Flanagan "It does not have to be true, it just has to be possible." or words something like that.

A variation on this tactic is the "trial balloon". Harper gets someone else to float something distasteful, or controversial, to see what the reaction is. Then he either drops it, or he takes over. Has happened to the sad Foreign Affairs guy Cannon a number of times – happened over the changes to the anthem. Harper goes to great pains to remain unattached to any kind of controversy, he ALWAYS uses someone else to float what he would like to say.

In this case, Harper would like to say that Ignatieff should be beaten black and blue. He's said it – it's out there. Makes him and his "macho men" sound tough, and it appeals to his thug core.
http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

Given your responses, I wouldn't be so sarcastic.

Hey, Breitkreuz is one guy that "shouldn't own a rifle. He's got a history of nasty TEMPERMENTAL remarks.

Take his rifle away, please