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

Just another casual allegation of treason

by Aaron Wherry on Thursday, November 17, 2011 10:00am - 59 Comments

After explaining to the House that opposition MPs were no longer relevant and dissenting opinions would no longer be tolerated, Peter Kent stepped into the foyer yesterday and described the visit of two NDP MPs to Washington as follows.

As you have seen this week, one of the opposition parties has taken the treacherous course of leaving the domestic debate and heading abroad to attack a legitimate Canadian resource which is being responsibly developed and regulated.

Treachery is synonymous with treason. During World War II, the British parliament enacted the Treachery Act to prosecute enemy conspirators. Sixteen people were subsequently executed for violations under the act.

Tags: britain, Keystone, peter kent, treachery, Treachery Act, treason, United kingdom

More by Aaron Wherry

http://dougsamu.wordpress.com doug rogers

Stephen Harper: proof that Democracy is a slippery slope to Fascism.

Guest

Never did like the slippery slope argument…

I’ve always been a much bigger ‘fan’ of the equilibrium theory of actions and reactions.

http://dougsamu.wordpress.com doug rogers

Yes, my comment is deeply cynically, ambiguous and ironic. Yes. our current government is an example of a pendulum swung to its extreme – we can only hope.

Calvin

I see it as a pendulum swing back to the center.

http://dougsamu.wordpress.com doug rogers

Every last one of us is the centre of the Universe.
Calvin

But only Pat Martin has his own Universe.

Anonymous

@4a64130278c80432e4d05477e5ee5a66:disqus
I guess you’ve missed Tony Clement’s corner of the twitterverse.

http://dougsamu.wordpress.com doug rogers

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment

Guest

Hmmm, that was an interesting read – thanks!

I can definitely follow her line of thought wrt some of the 10 steps, yet I can’t quite agree with the overall conclusion.

Specifically:
- agree that Guantanamo is a black eye for the US
- surprised that so many Americans seem so willing to give over so much greater lattitude to ‘Homeland Security’ efforts

The Guardian site seems to be unavailable at the moment, so I can’t review the 10 steps right now…those are the two that I can recall at the moment.

Bottom line is that I do appreciate colunms like that one – I think they do serve a very useful purpose by holding up some sort of mirror, which should help us to avoid reaching the endpoint that the clolumnist describes.

http://dougsamu.wordpress.com doug rogers

“Just another little bit off history repeating…”

Guest

Hmmmmm

Would you say that history IS repeating itself?

Or that history MIGHT be repeating itself?

Obviously(?) I haven’t made it over to the IS camp, yet, but I’m trying to remain vigilant. Perhaps I will only move when it is too late.

Peterborough Dave

Waaaait a minute, do I not recall Young Stephen Harper ™ on Fox News opining about Canada’s non-participation in the Iraq war?

http://www.eyestir.com/ Bill Owen

Yes, except Stephen Harper was never young!

Hester Eastman

It is how ideologues talk – we constantly accuse others of calumnious acts while completely ignoring one another. And then there are Libs who don’t know what to think about issues so they act like schoolmarms and complain about tone of language used.

Anonymous

Des grands parleurs, p’tits faiseurs…
kcm2

Wow. That’s got to be the first time i’ve entirely, unreservedly agreed with Tony. Never happen in my life time again…i’m sure of it.

Anonymous

I would use the word idiot to describe the move by the NPD members, just like I used the word idiot for Harper’s condemnation of the government of Canada’s policy on Irak years ago – and his retaining of Ari Fleisher with taxpayers’ money to get imbroiled into US internal politicals on FOX.

Treason is a cheap word in the Conservative ranks.
Calvin

If it is agreed that the government is over-reacting to a couple of irrelevant NDP members occupying the time of a few legislators in Washington, then is it not more irresponsible of someone like Wherry to try to connect the dots between these dippers and the execution of traitors during wartime ?

Anonymous

It seems to come up quite a bit with the cons – e.g., my MP, Bob Dechert and his “as close to treason and sedition” in 2008 to refer to coalition efforts. Then again, it is Harper who has described living in Canada to be more like living in a benign dictatorship than a desmocracy so it’s not surprising that people who support an idiot like Harper would equate dissent with treason and accused with criminals.

Anonymous

The same Bob Dechert who almost got himself caught in a honey trap? That Bob Dechert?
Calvin

So in your balanced opinion, do you feel it is ok for Wherry to quote a Cabinet Minister expressing his opinion that he disagrees with the NDP for attempting to sabotage a legitimate part of the Canadian economy and then in the next paragraph try to make a connection between his words and the wartime actions of a desperate country fighting for the freedom we all enjoy today ?

As far as silly over-reactions are concerned:
Wherry = Pat Martin

Anonymous

No, it is a not OK in a sea of not OKs.

You may still have been in grade school, who knows, but not that long ago, to give two examples that come to mind, Pierre Pettigrew, a cabinet minister, mused about healthcare options that were not part of the government’s agenda. He was asked by his boss (Chrétien) to issue a clarification. A minister must dissociate his personal views from those of the government. In our system it’s called cabinet solidarity.

The same Mr. Pettigrew commented on the leadership convention of the PQ which included an homage to the party’s former leaders – saying he felt sorry for the man (Boisclair) who was joining a group of losers. This was deemed unacceptable by his boss (Martin) and Pettigrew rose in the HoC and apologized for his use of the word loser. (History proved him right, but that’s not the point.)

Which brings me to the idiot, the non-leader who is now the prime minister of Canada. If Mr. Harper had a shred of leadership in his body he would have his minister clarify misstated government positions (McKay is a particularly frequent offender) and his caucus members apologize when they use words that go beyond what is acceptable in a civilized society.

When the leader of this country is not smart enough to assume his responsibilities we end up with ministers who say stupid things and journalists who follow suit – not to mention out-of-control government spending.

Calvin

I suspect the well-respected, intelligent leader ( just trying to balance out your idiot remark ) of the Conservatives agrees with his minister when he says that the NDP are taking a treacherous course when they go on such a stupid and silly trip as their latest to Washington.

Thanks for the history lesson about cabinet solidarity, however, I cannot see how it applies to this story—all cabinet ministers and most Canadians agree with Kent concerning the actions of the NDP.

The NDP are quickly becoming a non-factor in the eyes of most Canadians—I think it is time for the government to ignore them also.
Anonymous

In this case, the Pettigrew loser example applies, and because of the idiotic leader at the helm nothing will be done.
Kiki

Non-factor? Their membership is growing.

Anonymous

Harper’s Cabinet of Useful Idiots should probably be renamed to Harper’s Cabinet of Useful Idiot Assholes.

Calvin

TJCook = Pat Martin

Anonymous

He’s just calling a dick, a dick. I think Kent has had one too many botox shots.

http://www.eyestir.com/ Bill Owen

Or not enough! lol
kcm2

LOL
Or maybe Kent is positioning himself for Steve’s job…just practising saying NO…let’s see if he has the necessary to mean it…i’m ging with no. He’ll cave before the wkend.

http://www.eyestir.com/ Bill Owen

Why is it that Cons have no problem freedom bombing cities in Libya, to you know, “liberate” them, but get all outraged when someone uses a perfectly good word?
“We train young men to drop fire on people. But their commanders won’t allow them to write “fuck” on their airplanes because it’s obscene!” — Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, Apocalypse Now.

Anonymous

Useful idiots are good at creating useful crisis….

Anonymous

These guys are such total douches it’s not even funny.

Come on, 2015.

Calvin

….or 2019, or 2023, or…..it could be a long time Leroy.

Anonymous

I’m slowly becoming numb to the CPC’s complete lack of understanding that words have meaning and can have consequences. Obviously the man was just reaching for vitriol and that’s the best he could manage to come up with.

If it wasn’t so sad, it’d almost be funny.

Anonymous

Yes, and the sad thing is that the man used to be a journalist. You would think that Kent of all people would get the concept that words do have meaning.

http://www.eyestir.com/ Bill Owen

They understand language very well, and they understand power and how to use it. I seem to recall another regime like that…
Anonymous

Actually, I think this definition is the one Kent most likely had in mind when he chose his words:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/treacherous_1

But by all means, don’t let the more common and likely meaning to a word invoked by a hated conservative stand in the way of further expressing your utter contempt for him or her and all he or she stands for.

Anonymous

Let’s all chip in and buy Aaron a good Thesaurus for Christmas!!!
http://www.eyestir.com/ Bill Owen

Wow a mentalist! You should take your mind reading act on the road? What number am I thinking of now…?

Anonymous

I can’t hold a candle to Wherry’s abilities in that regard, but I’ll take a go: 11.

Here’s another prediction: Wherry will soon post some further anti-CPC inanity and you and your sycophantic ilk will respond with unbridled delight.

Anonymous

Posting anti-CPC comments here is not treachery yet.

http://www.eyestir.com/ Bill Owen

Does the word “context” mean anything to you? I’ll wait while you look it up.

Anonymous

Seems to me “dangerous” fits the context as well as “treasonous”, but I acknowledge my concept of “context” might differ from Flinstonephilic Harperphobes.

http://www.eyestir.com/ Bill Owen

Right, of course, and what does Harper do with “dangerous” people? Hmm let me think.

Anonymous

I thought I saw smoke.

kcm2

Nice of you to provide cover for him. If he did mean that and is sharp enough to say as much then he is sharper then i thought.
Either way it works. As a reasonable comment and as red meat for the base.

Anonymous

Fact 1: Pipelines are poorly regulated in the USA. Just look at the number of spills in recent years, specifically giant spills into the Yellowstone and Kalamazoo rivers.
Fact 2: Pipelines are well regulated in Canada by the NEB.
Fact 3: Jobs are important.
Fact 4: Trans-Canada lied about the job impact of this pipeline, and once operational it will create very few net jobs north of the border (less than 100).
Fact 5: Large refineries typically employee 750+ people on a long-term full-time basis, many of which are high-skilled jobs.
Fact 6: Advocating to ship raw resources to other countries to produce value-added products is treacherous. (Hyperbole! Calm down!)
kcm2

Harper’s law: Article one.

Treachery…synonymous with treason…definition – that which sins against the nation ie., Canada, and in particulary, but not limited solely to, the economic interests of said country as defined by the Conservative majority govt of said country.

Concise definition: because SH f’ing says so period.

Article 2. There’s is no article 2. Please see article one…

MANDATE!

*In the unlikey event of any change becoming necessary to article one please contact PMO attention dear leader, out. [ oh that works better if you enclose a minimum of $10 per month]
Anonymous

Pretty soon 99% of us will be traitors, and there will only be 1% real Canadians left.

kcm2

I’ve got a couple of extra tents.

Anonymous

I’m guessing he’s going the way of Rona Ambrose. When Harper sees a political advantage in pretending to care about the environment, Kent will be blamed for the lack of progress and be bounced.
Anonymous

I’m sorry, what’s the difference between this and that whole Iraq/Harper interview on Fox thing?

Oh, right. Neither of the two was the Leader of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition.
Guest

Ein Reich, Ein Volk Ein Harper!
AVR

Go have a nice lie down, sweetie. And maybe a cup of tea.
Peterborough Dave

I think this is actually Wayne or Merv Hollingsworth having some fun. Welcome back fellas.
Peterborough Dave

Seriously, tell us how you REALLY feel.
AVR

I prefer guys my own age, thanks. But +1 for continuing the unhinged incest theme!
http://www.eyestir.com/ Bill Owen

Yes, because everything is fine, nothing to see here, move along please. Enjoy your sleep.