Canada's Green Party In Full Damage Control
Looks like the ship of Canada's Green Party has developed a gaping hole on the side, soon after it got out of port. Their leader, Elizabeth May, appears to have been caught not being upfront about something she said a while back.
To understand this developing story, the best thing to do is visit Stephen Taylor's blog. It concerns an audio recording that can be heard on this video that he published on YouTube:
I've listened to May's quote about 10 times and it seems very certain to me that this is what she's saying:
"All politicians are scared to death to mention the word 'tax'. And they think Canadians are stupid. And I fundamentally agree with that assessment."
Mr. Taylor then received a threatening letter from John Bennett, the Director of Communications for the Green Party of Canada. He insisted that Taylor would be charged with slander if he did not remove the YouTube video with the audio recording.
In this article, Bennett went further, saying this about Taylor:
"It’s an attempt by the Conservatives through a front website to attack the credibility of Elizabeth May," Green spokesperson John Bennett told The Tyee. "They took what she said, cut it up, then put it back together."
Interesting charge. If it's true. Thankfully, truth is still a defense in Canada ... that is unless you're in front of a "Human Rights" Commission. But in a real Canadian Court of Law it is a defense. Taylor carefully pointed that out here.
Fast forward to this morning. In preparation for my weekly appearance on Roy Green's political panel, which is broadcast across the country, I learned of this controversy on Kate McMillan's SmallDeadAnimals.com site, specifically here and here. I casually mentioned it here at 35:20.
Little did I know that the sh*t would hit the fan after that! Take a look at the uproar on the Canadian blogosphere. And up until this evening, I didn't even know who Stephen Taylor was!
It boggles my mind that in the advent of the Internet and the 24/7 news cycle, politicians think they can suppress things they've said. Elizabeth May & John Bennett are clearly caught in a lie. She very well may not have meant that "all Canadians are stupid" though one has to wonder if her inner thoughts are similar to the very public views of Al Gore and David Suzuki, namely: "If you don't agree that climate change is man-made then you are a Global Warming Denier!" [paraphrasing]
I absolutely despise the use of the word "denier", not only because I have a personal friend who is a Holocaust survivor, but because it is a cheap tactic employed by the radical left to silence all debate.
I won't be on Roy Green's show tomorrow but you better believe I'll be listening closely! For any who are not familiar with the show, you can listen to it on all of these stations:
- 11:00am - CKNW - Vancouver, BC
- 12:00pm - CHQR - Calgary, AB
- 12:00pm - CHED - Edmonton, AB
- 12:00pm - CJME - Regina, SK
- 12:00pm - CKOM - Saskatoon, SK
- 1:00pm - CJOB - Winnipeg, MB
- 2:00pm - CFPL - London, ON
- 2:00pm - CHML - Hamilton, ON
Labels:
Canada,
election campaign,
Green Party,
politics,
talk radio,
video
5 comments:
I called John Bennett when this came out. He flat out told me the tape had been doctored.
If Liz had the brains us stupid Canadians have she'd fire him.
She wasn't finished talking. What I'm hearing is her talking about politicians who are scared to mention taxes and think Canadians are stupid; not that she thinks that ( altough she'a a politician) :) but she agrees with her statement, that politicians usually think that way.
I doubt she would have said anything so dumb, and I'm voting conservative, so I'm not one of her supporters.
You raise an interesting theory but I wonder if it holds water. Elizabeth May has frequently praised Al Gore & David Suzuki. Both of these men have frequently said something to this effect: "The debate about man-made global warming is over. Anyone who disagrees is a Global Warming Denier."
In other words, Gore & Suzuki have said that anyone who disagrees with them is stupid and/or ignorant.
So why is it such a stretch to interpret May's recorded words (not her thoughts but her actual audible words) in precisely the same way?
Furthermore, for the Green Party to assert that the audio recording was doctored is beyond the pale.
Goodness, they put you on the radio as some kind of pundit? You have your facts wrong. It wasn't Taylor who was threatened, he was essentially ignored.
Bennett got a call from me too, but he didn't return it because the next day he retracted his silly threats. The audio was not doctored, but it was clipped to destroy the context of what she said, which by the way demonstrates that she does not think Canadians are stupid.
As a Conservative, it might be wise not to bring up "audio tape" too much in this campaign, lest another one jump up and bite Harper some more...
Sir,
Your comments do not at all jive with those of Stephen Taylor. Some might say that you are calling him disingenuous.
Just because you disagree with my views does not justify you making ad hominem attacks against me. It's not a very flattering reflection upon yourself.
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