The “revelation” (shock! horror!) that the NRA has been offering advice to Canadian groups opposed to the long gun registry — cough, for a decade — has the Liberals watering at the mouth quivering with indignation. Why, Liberal House leader David McGuinty was so furious at this foreign intervention that he was forced to call a press conference:
McGuinty says the U.S. gun lobby has no business being involved at all in a Canadian debate.
”We are here to say that the National Rifle Association and its members and its leadership should butt out of Canada’s gun registry debate,” he said.
He said the Harper government shouldn’t be paying any attention to an American voice.
”This is a government that is choosing to listen to a powerful foreign influence over our own police, our victims’ groups, our medical experts, in fact the majority of Canadians when it comes to gun control.”
Well, bang on. The last thing we need are powerful Americans coming up here and telling us how we should … What’s that? Oh. Never mind:
Nancy Pelosi’s office insists that the most powerful woman in American politics is not out to target the “dirty oil” from Alberta’s oilsands, but green groups and the opposition Liberals in Ottawa wish she would.
The U.S. House Speaker met Thursday morning with representatives from the Pembina Institute and Environment Defence, two groups highly critical of oilsands production.
“As the main customer of tarsands oil, the U.S. has a leadership role to play where our governments at home are failing,” said Environmental Defence executive director Rick Smith…
Liberal environment critic David McGuinty praised Pelosi and the Obama administration for trying to force change in Canada.
“A customer has come calling and said we’d like to see an improvement in the product we buy,” McGuinty told an Ottawa news conference.
That Harper government: they just won’t listen to powerful foreign influences.
