Speaking about Stephen Harper’s environment plan, former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney had this to say on CBC Radio, “…And I think there is more work to be done on that, both substantively and ‘presentationally’, and my guess is that is where the government is heading…”

In making reference to the relationship between the environment and the middle-class, the former Prime Minister also had this to say “This resonates well with this highly independent voting block in Canada … and if you want their support, and you can’t get elected very often without it, then you’ve got to be sensitive to questions on the environment.”

 Best to get one thing straight, I like Brian Mulroney. Always have. Anyone who can shoot as straight as he did on the Peter C. Newman tapes is my kind of guy. And on that score, Stephen Harper ain’t no Brian Mulroney.

Based on what appears to be the popular and growing consensus, it appears my taunting-like hunch of December 15 may be proved incorrect after all; Rona Ambrose’s days may indeed be numbered. And those closer to the inner-circle than me, tell me Rona will indeed plead the Ollie and take one for the team. There in lies the tragedy; not so much that Rona may or may not be willing to take it, but rather that it’s expected.

 

Anyone who doesn’t believe Stephen Harper was the mastermind behind Rona’s Clean Air Act, probably also doesn’t believe Colonel Jessop issued the code red in a Few Good Men.

 

 

 

                         

You don’t see Stephen Harper presenting Jim Flaherty’s budget. Why then was the Prime Minister so keen to be front-and-center on October 19 announcing the Clean Air Act? Could it be proud-papa wanted to introduce his own baby?

I’m ordinarily not this hard on a politician that I once supported, and I am also a big believer in giving people who make mistakes a second chance. Even politicians. Everybody makes mistakes and most everybody deserves a second chance. But along with those mistakes and before a second chance is awarded, it’s also appropriate to see a little admission and contrition. That’s what appears to be missing. And not just missing, but altogether avoided.

A la, William Stairs, Maurice Vellacott, Garth Turner, Scott Brison, and possibly soon the environment minister, Ms. Ambrose may yet come to represent the latest casualty in party faithful put out to pasture because they either didn’t carry-out, or succeed in carrying-out, Stephen Harper’s very precise wishes.

Give me a break! Stephen Harper didn’t need Brian Mulroney to tell him global warming was a “substantive” problem any more than millions of former smokers didn’t need the Surgeon General to phone them personally to give a more “presentationally” superior warning linking the pouring cigarette smoke into the lining of their lungs with cancer.

Surely the scientific community who, for years, have been frantically warning about the link between pouring smoke and other gases into the lining of our atmosphere and global warning, were very clearly heard by Mr. Harper long before the call from uncle Brian. This begs the rhetorical question, why then did Mr. Harper insist on giving it the one-more-try … hoping that perhaps his head in the [tar] sand might go unnoticed, or better yet, succeed?

Now this isn’t license for letting Liberals off-the-hook for their indifference and incompetence. It’s also not lost on me the Liberal sin lasted 13 years versus Harper’s of only 13 months by the time the next election is called. But why should indifference and incompetence be replaced with ignorance and dictatorial arrogance? Moreover why should the sudden appearance and coincidental timing of little green scarves be rewarded? 

To twist Upton Sinclair’s famous quote, just because his [Harper] salary ‘now depends on his too understanding that something,’ is this really reason not to examine he, or rather she, who’s been calling it correctly all along?

Kinda makes you wanna take a peek under the hood to see what else might be in the May party platform that ‘resonates well with that middle class and highly independent voting block in Canada.’   Yikes! with those odds working against me, I wouldn’t want her in the debates either.