Beyond The Commons

 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

Everyone wants to be friends with Awish Aslam

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 5:44pm - 122 Comments

Stephen Harper’s press secretary is offering to set up a meeting between Mr. Harper and the young woman ejected from a Conservative event this week. The NDP meanwhile has sent out the following picture and note.

Stephen Harper didn’t want Awish Aslam at his London rally this week. Awish Aslam, a second-year political science student at the University of Western Ontario, told reporters she and a friend were trying to attend a Sunday rally with Harper when they were asked to leave by an RCMP officer.

Jack Layton had no such problem at his rally in London. That’s Canadian Leadership.

2011-04-04 London

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  • John

    Too little too late. Harper is NOT on this campaign.

  • OriginalEmily1

    I have no idea what Harper thinks he's doing, but tossing voters out of public events isn't the way to win elections.

    • Just asking

      Maybe Awish Aslam should accept the offer to meet Harper and then turn him away saying she is busy meeting with Michael and Jack and won't have time for him today or any other day… :)

      • OriginalEmily1

        LOL poetic justice!

      • DBM

        Or invite him to her place, and then tell him he's no longer welcome.

  • Missy

    Neither Layton or Ignatieff are the Prime Minister of Canada, are they?
    They have no security detail entitlement, do they?
    Yet both these men know that if they were PM of Canada, that they too would be seriously protected, especially in places with crowds.
    Why you young people buy into all this childish smear campaigning is beyond me. Surely to God, you grew up watch Hollywood movies about Presidents? So how can you even question why our Prime Minister would have a security detail that exercises all precautionary measures. WAKE UP CHILDREN……..THIS IS THE REAL WORLD NOT YOUR SAND BOX!

    • OriginalEmily1

      There is a difference between physical protection of the body….and tossing people out of a political rally because of a photo on their facebook page.

      PS…this isn't the US.

      PPS ….all the leaders have RCMP details.

      • Joshua

        Was it the photo on their facebook or the burka??

        • OriginalEmily1

          She doesn't wear a burka.

          And go wash out your mouth with soap.

        • Andrew (not PorC)

          Would the conservatives have the courage to say in public she was turned away because of her 'burka'?

    • http://halooverride.blogspot.com/ Halo_Override

      Utter nonsense. They weren't ejected for carrying weapons or making threats.

      • danby

        Oh, I dunno. What if they'd asked an off-script question?

        • Douglass

          a loaded question perhaps?

          • lgarvin

            Ouch! That one could have misfired on ya.

          • Mike T.

            I think he's doing a bang up job!

          • http://halooverride.blogspot.com/ Halo_Override

            Which we wouldn't have had the chance to see, had the Liberals not triggered this unnecessary election.

        • lgarvin

          Exactly, they posed a threat to the narrative.

          • KeithBram

            Except now they have become the narrative.

      • Joshua

        She had a burka on, it goes with the territory

        • OriginalEmily1

          She didn't have a burka on.

          Harper's scared of cloth is he?

          Neither of the other leaders are.

        • http://halooverride.blogspot.com/ Halo_Override

          Your face goes with your butt.

        • danby

          I'm thinking that comment wasn't approved by Jason Kenney

        • frobisher

          Ohhh, the bhurka. Right.

          This implosion you are having, did you see it coming? Chess mastery and all that?

        • MP3

          Well, pretty good observatin Joshua. NOT..
          That ain't no burka

        • D.D.S

          pathetic.

    • lgarvin

      Listen, Missy.

      (That's all I wanted to say)

    • brooster2

      "THIS IS THE REAL WORLD NOT YOUR SAND BOX!"

      Wayyydaminute…Did you not just use "Hollywood movies about Presidents" as your frame of reference here? Let me check your comment again.

      Yup…Thought so.

    • Wasaga_Beach

      It is amusing that you chose to use the phrase "Surely to God" which is derived from a Islamic prayer
      INNA LI ILAHI AND INNA ILAYHI RA’JI’UN.
      SURELY, TO GOD WE BELONG, AND TO GOD WE SHALL RETURN
      Sand Box ?? Get a grip Missy

      Awish Aslam for PM !!

    • Fergus

      Speaking as a not-so-young person of 49, I am appalled that you would defend this young woman's removal from this event because of a photo on her facebook page of herself with the leader of the Liberal party. I would suggest that you have a lot to learn from these "young people," if you have the grace to listen!.

    • Marv Hendrickson

      Deny, Deny, Deny – that's Harper's mantra – shame on him – let's face it – he's a control freak!

  • wellwell

    Apologies for the peurile observation, but Mr. Layton appears to have made a bad small – take a look at the small girl at the bottom of the photo, and the woman behind him.

    • wellwell

      Bad smell, not 'bad small' … lol

    • lenny

      Well, at least they're still standing.

      [youtube vvmioUFJ0Jk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvmioUFJ0Jk youtube]
      [youtube EUFSt7BN5jQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUFSt7BN5jQ youtube]

    • Blue

      Well, wellwell, you are really not with the program.
      I think that woman behind Layton is Aslam and Wherry, in his patented backhanded-Harper-Hating-way, was simply trying to point out that she is always welcome at a Layton rally, and now you have ruined it all with your insensitivity.

      • LdKitchenersOwn

        Wherry, in his patented backhanded-Harper-Hating-way, was simply trying to point out that she is always welcome at a Layton rally.

        Yes, pointing out a matter of FACT certainly is "Harper-hating" and "backhanded". There's nothing that threatens the Harper campaign more than "facts" and "reality".

      • wellwell

        You got me there, Blue! I didn't know what Ms. Aslam looked like, and neither Aaron nor the NDP made that clear.

  • Dot

    Wonder if she also knows "Fatima Al-Dhaher, a political science student from [UWO]London, [who] rose and spoke about comments Coulter made after the 9/11 terrorist attacks." http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2010/03/22/133…

    Not a great tolerant track record there…

    • Loraine Lamontagne

      Not a great tolerant track record… I presume you mean yours?

      • Dot

        I'm sure you would.

        • OriginalEmily1

          Yeah, all Muslims know each other, and think the same way.

          Ever tell someone overseas you're from Canada, and they ask if you know somebody living 3000 miles away from you?

          • Loraine Lamontagne

            Like in Vancouver!

          • Dot

            They are both in 2nd year PoliSci at UWO. Duhhhh

          • OriginalEmily1

            So are a lot of people.

          • Dot

            Yes, I know compared to a 4H Club, universities may seem big to you. The fact of the matter is that many have active party youth clubs – UWO no doubt has a Conservative one, drawing from the PoliSci faculty.

            The recent person, a visible minority, was asked to leave AFTER being allowed entry. This suggests to me that someone of the organizers recognized her, or selected /screenedher out using FaceBook after she was allowed entry – probably some dickweed who was also involved with the Levant/Coulter affair at UWO.

            We shall see.

          • OriginalEmily1

            Don't get snotty Dot, I probably have more degrees than you do and have never been near a 4H club.

            Poli/sci students are interested in politics amazingly enough, which is why they have clubs. Cons don't have a 'youth wing' though.

            Lots of people have been tossed out of these rallies, not just her.

            Even Vets with a name like Jim Lowther and an environmental science student named Joanna MacDonald….not visible minorites.

          • Andrew (not PorC)

            Do you know Dave? From Canada?

      • Dot

        And by the way, in case you misinterpreted my claim of lack of tolerance, I was referring to those who associate with individuals like Ezra Levant.

  • Anon

    Only in Canada could Star f#*"ing include Stephen Harper and Jack Layton.

  • WaterlooAl

    I hope Harper doesn't try to kiss any babies this tour, the baby might be thrown out, for the possibility of throwning up on Harper.

    • Jan

      A lot of babies have now had their picture taken with Ignatieff. They should be approached witth extreme caution.

      • burlivespipe

        You haven't seen any sign of that little boy who tweaked his nose a few campaigns back, have you?

  • Garnet

    Hey, everyone's welcome at a Jack Layton event, so long as you don't get between him and the camera:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM76KN3HVv0

    • Anon

      That's why he hates Mulcair.

  • Joshua

    Mr. Harper "IS OUR PRIME MINISTER NOW"…..yet that Iggy??
    He is the one who "counts", not you.
    Mr. Harper has already had threats at his home on more than one occassion.
    The instant I saw that Awish Aslam "wearing a burka", I too would have turned her away. She could have had a bomb underneath that garb.

    Iggy, can you find nothing more to talk about, than Mr. Harper. Why don't you start telling the people what they really want to know instead of constantly slander Mr. Harper. People do get sick of hearing you.;

    • Jan

      She was wearing a burka?

    • gottabesaid

      Wow, I hope this post was made in jest. Yikes.

      • OriginalEmily1

        No, she didn't, and no Joshua isn't joking.

        He is however bright blue from all the koolaid.

      • http://halooverride.blogspot.com/ Halo_Override

        Another satisfied CPC supporter.

    • Karin

      Awash ASlam she was wearing Hijab not the burka

    • Alexandra

      whats wrong with wearing a burka?

      • craigola

        You looking to get disinvited from the Harper event, too?

    • Paying Attention

      Harper is NOT the PM, he is not entiteled to that honorific whilst Parliment is in dissolution.

  • M irza

    I guess we are missing out on the main cause of Ms Aslam's ejection from the Harper rally. She was kicked out NOT because she had a Facebook profile picture with Mr Ignatieff BUT only because she is a Muslim who happens to wear a hijab. This is a slap in the face of Canadian "Multiculturalism" and liberal democracy and borders on Fascism comparable to Nazi rallies of the 1930s. Sad say for Canada!

    • Jan

      If we don't want Muslin youth to radicalize, excluding them is not a really bright approach.

      • http://halooverride.blogspot.com/ Halo_Override

        I worry about polyester-blend youth radicalizing. The mass-transit sweating in the summer will threaten our national security.

        • Jan

          Too late, the polyester-blend youth have joined the Harper revolution. And they've wrestled control from Harper and are now running his campaign.

        • Thwim

          Oh I don't cotton to that at all.

    • OriginalEmily1

      Yeah, all the people on the streets of Canada wearing their own cultural clothing…like saris, and Amish gowns and so on aren't 'real' Canadians.

      • FVerhoeven

        Emily, you don't find it annoying that he posted the message three times in a row? How come you find it so annoying when I try to make my point in several posts? Mind you, I don''t copy the exact message. At least you could give me credit for varying my messages a little bit.

        Ah, the knowledge based societies: copy and paste, copy and paste, copy and paste.

        • OriginalEmily1

          Newbie goof…whereas you're not a newbie….just repetitive.

        • Mirza

          FVerhoeven, the fact that I mistakenly posted the same thing thrice, courtesy of a lousy website or an internet connection while you intentionally sounding like a broken record in all your posts warrants no comment :o)

          • FVerhoeven

            It's a pure joy for me, to see this in action.

            What action, you might ask.

            Well, the action of people contradicting themselves without knowing it. And the irony on top of it is this:

            Your postings (3) were in reaction to the Conservative campaign excluding some people. You are opposed when a party tries to silence the attendence of a particular person, Awish Aslam in the case you try to defend, only to treat me in the same way as you have condemned Harper for.

            Such rich irony is a treasure to behold indeed.

            :)

          • Andrew (not PorC)

            If it makes you feel better, I don't try to silence you. I just reserve the right to disagree and rebut.

    • Joshua

      Did I say she was kicked out because she was a Muslim??? I will repeat it one more time. She was wearing a burka/hijab and she could have had anything hidden under it. Don't forget, we already have two women who have been taken out of our Country and radicalized and we haven't found them as yet. Please don't put words into my mouth.
      I am concerned about the safety of our Prime Minister and only that.

      • Jan

        A burka/hijab – before you post again, you really need to google these two and get it straight what they are. You wouldn't want anyone to think you're just an ignorant bigot, would you?

      • gottabesaid

        Wait a sec… you're saying that she shouldn't be kicked out because she's a Muslim… but because there are (so you say) TWO women who have been taken out of the country and radicalized, just to be safe, we should keep Muslim women wearing headscarfs away from events involving the PM. Just to be safe and all. Well.

  • Holly Stick
    • OriginalEmily1

      Wow…thank you!

      3 million strong….yes indeed they can swing this.

  • memi

    Harper is afraid of Students, Women, Veterans, Civil Servants, Seniors, Qubecois, Elizabeth May, and last, but not least,
    Democracy!

    Fascism in Nazi Germany began in similar fashion….and Herr Harper's new fashion glasses give me the shivers….Achtung indeed!]

    Lament for a Nation

    • DBM

      I think what happened is terrible, but the Nazi allusions are a bit much.

      • D.D.S

        I agree….although I must say there is a real disturbing trend here that should not be ignored….there are weird and creepy similarities..especially regarding the press

    • Claire

      You left out environmentalists, as evidenced by the ejection of the University of Guelph student who was probably turned away because of her environmental affliations.

  • laureenRcmp

    A Wish …. for Canada

    Please Save us from our very own version of George Dubya Without Charisma and his Tea Party on the Hill!

    • Claire

      Amen to that. I will say, though that Harper has a few more brain cells than Dubya.

  • gwBushe

    WASSILA'S MAYOR-IN-WAITING

    Harper's allergy to 'Learning" and students and his disdain for democracy is obvious.

    Shame on this Village Idiot whose country-bumpkin "leadership" has cost Canada our rightful UN Security Council seat—first time in 60 years.

    Harper should resign and apply for the Mayor's job in Wassila, Alaska.
    His resume would suffice! Altho his interpersonal skills may provide an obstacle!

    • ummagumma

      Wait! Isn't that Palin territory? I guess Palin would always want to keep that option open just in case things don't work out in DC. How about Ellesmere Island?

  • memi2

    couldn't agree more!

    we have a Village Idiot for PM….shameful

  • NorthernPoV

    The Social Network is being used as a ruling-party tool to monitor and control the population.
    In Canada.
    Today.
    I am not making this up .

    • Marv

      Yep yer ryte – that's why it werked so well for McCain/Palin. Seen any UFOs lately?

  • karim

    It's a slap on the face for the muslims community in canada got by Stephen Harper.

    • Jan

      This kind of thing isn't tolerated in the Canada I know . If this is what Harper is bringing us, I don't believe Candians will tolerate it.

    • Alexandra

      and we are still talking about Multiculturalism (with a capital M)? where did they get that from?

  • FVerhoeven

    Layton says:"Stephen Harper didn’t want Awish Aslam at his London rally this week"

    Interesting comment by Layton. Since such statement is based purely on speculation, here's my speculation of events:

    Perhaps it is no coincidence that the questioning of Carson's clearing and the clearing of two students at a Conservative rally. Perhaps the two students were planted to be "ejected' so that the Liberals and the NDP could find a news story to wrap around Carson's clearance story. I find it highly suspicious, the timing I mean.

    • Anon

      That's what a War Room is supposed to do. What exactly is the Tory war room doing?

      • OriginalEmily1

        Coming up with stupid excuses for ejecting people….and there are more than these 2….from a public political event.

        • Andrew (not PorC)

          They don't host public events.

          • OriginalEmily1

            No, apparently all Harper 'rallies' are by invitation only.

      • FVerhoeven

        I'm glad you see it the same way. Of course, such coincidences are all hatched out in the war rooms. Sure, the Conservatives do it too. All political parties do it.

        But why would the CBC make such a fools of themselves by being part of the plotting?

        If the CBC keeps this up, the way they are covering the campaign, they will manage to deliver more votes to the Conservatives. More and more I hear that the CBC is so blatantly supportive of the Liberals, and because it's so obvious, most voters see right through it and reject the notion to be "bought' with their own money.

        • Anon

          CBC, CTV, National Post, RDI, Global, they have all covered it. Why — because it is news. A young girl kicked out of a public event PLUS a PMO staffer PLUS a former escort. A TV producer should be fired if you don't cover a story like this.

          • FVerhoeven

            Yeah, but I don't pay for the Post, or CTV, or Global.

            I do pay for the CBC, however. And when a public broadcaster stoops as low as to make something like this incident the lead in story for the evening news, than I'm no longer surprised voters will go in opposite direction as to what the CBC is trying to lay out before them.

            I trust the voter's instinct more than the CBC's plotting techniques.

          • Gayle

            I see. The CBC is just supposed to report what the government tells them to report? Otherwise it is going against the wishes of the "people"?

          • Loraine Lamontagne

            Soudas has apologized for an event that didn`t occur or for which he shouldn`t have apologized?

            If events that occured 80 yearsaround the family of a political leader are 'news' why wouldn't an event that occured during this campaign at a political rally financed by citizens at large not be 'news'?

          • Thwim

            Actually, you do. They all receive public monies.

    • Mirza

      Listen, truth is Ms Aslam was taken out because she was wearing a hijab you can go on on with conspricacy theories and your "perhaps this" and "perhaps that" assumptions. No matter what you say, her being barred from the rally is itself a violation of freedom of speech and assembly… go read the Charter!

      I am a Muslim and I consider Canada my home and owe utmost loyalty to this great country. Events like this just makes me more committed to get involved in the mainstream politics and clear our good name. This struggle is in many ways comparable to the civil rights movement of the 60s and I am sure justice will prevail one day. The rest of the Canadians have nothing to fear from Muslims and vice versa…. go make some Muslim friends and you'll know what I mean…. don't live in a bubble.

      • FVerhoeven

        Well, are you Ms or Mr Tolerance youself!

        You have no idea who I am. You don't know who my friends are. You don't even know how I feel about religions of any kind. And yet, you judge me based on not knowing anything about me.

        Strange!

        So the story is growing legs. The story is supposed to walk in particular directions, I suppose. The way you see it. Ms.Aslam was takenn out because she was wearing a hijab? Please, do tell what comes next.

        • Mirza

          Exactly! And yet you question just like them Harper's goons Ms Aslam's credibility and this being all a political act? I smell hypocrisy with a capital H.

          Reminds me of what Shakespeare once said "Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all."

          • FVerhoeven

            Mirza, before you quote any of Shakespeare's thoughts, please, put some thought in your own posted words.

            I am questioning the Liberals and the NDP'ers on this as much as I am questioning the Conservatives and the news outlets. And, yes, I will also put question marks behind Ms.Aslam.

            You may or may not understand that the in case Ms.Aslam and her particular status is being 'used' , she may very well be 'used' on both sides. At this point in time we do not know how she is being 'used', or even if she is being 'used'. All I am saying is that you should not rule out both sides in events unfolding such as this one.

            Shakespeare was a man who, by means of his writing, could put such possibilities before us. In fact, such was his strenght of insights revealed.

          • Loraine Lamontagne

            You should not rule out what appears evident. If you see the tsunami wave coming, run for higher ground.

        • Gayle

          "And yet, you judge me based on not knowing anything about me."

          Actually, what you say says a lot about who you are, so if you think people are getting the wrong impression you might want to consider your words more carefully.

          • FVerhoeven

            It's not the words, Gayle.

            When Mirza is upset about the Conservatives excluding a person by prejudgement, and Mirza then does the very same thing, namely to prejudge me, then why does she condemn in others what she does so herself?

            I have posted twice about such contradiction within Mirza's postings, but I don't think it has sunk in. And I don't think you have caught the contradiction either. Like I said, unknowingly contradicting oneself gives the reader more insights to the person in question than the words used by the person, any person.

          • Mirza

            Fverhoeven, you are right that this is political fodder for NDP and the Liberals to win some brownie points with Canadians. However, you consistently chose to ignore the main issue here, that of Ms Aslam being cherry picked and thrown out from a political rally just because she appears to be a visible practicing Muslim This act itself speaks volume of what Mr Harper's administration/political staff believes in and as a Muslim I feel betrayed and being sidelined from mainstream Canadian politics. What's next? Blacks? Asians? Jews? Ukrainians? Italians? Irish? French?

    • Thwim

      Okay, let's go with your assumption. Let's say the students were planted by the Liberal or NDP party.

      Who made the Chicken Party throw them out?

    • Marv

      You're a paranoic stumbling thru na-na land

  • RealityCheck

    Whaddya know….It's not all Harper's fault that Carson worked for him. RCMP gave the 'yay'. Shucks, huh. On to the next one.

    • DBM

      The RCMP doesn't hire the Prime Minsiter's staff – they prepare a report listing any potential red flags. Someone still has to approve and make the hire.

      There's only 2 people who could make that approval – Kevin Lynch and Steven Harper. That means Mr. Lynch is the individual who's been thrown under the bus here. Since Mr. Lynch was a bureaucrat he has to stay quiet – but the fact that he's a bureaucrat also makes it very unlikely he'd have approved a report with 5 red flags on it, and much more likely he would have passed it up to the minsiterial level – i.e. Harper – for approval.

    • Thwim

      Can we expect you to be serving whine with your red herring?

  • Thwim

    I have to admit, at first I thought this was a Feschuk caption contest, because the look of that poor woman behind Mr. Layton seems to be one of utter terror.

    Then you get the little kid and the elderly lady.. put it all together and the caption, "Unfortunately, the crowd did not, as it turned out, want to see Mr. Layton's scar."

  • TimesArrow

    Pity poor awish aslam. Because right about now the best resourced war room this country has ever seen is frantically digging for some dirt on her or her friends.

  • Jan

    Seems really obvious now why Elliiot wasn't fired. And the RCMP are investing Harper's aides – I'm guessing they'll be cleared.

  • Andrew (not PorC)

    I'm not aware of a campaign where he mingled with non-prescreened crowds. Maybe 2004?

  • s_c_f

    Look at that picture! The womain in the hijab is petrified of him and the senior with the white hair is scolding him.

    • Gr8tWallsofFire

      Actually, I think the more common reaction to Layton is found at the 9 1/2 minute mark of the following:
      http://www.globalnational.com/video/index.html?re…

      "Pity poor awish aslam. Because right about now the best resourced war room this country has ever seen is frantically digging for some dirt on her or her friends."

      I have a suspicion the digging won't have to be particularly frantic. If all she really wanted to do was to inform herself as a young voter, we'll see how she reacts to the best opportunity a young person could ever have to do so – a personally audience with a sitting PM.

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