Bernier Resigns

[jdobbin]

Yeah really. Liberals and national security. Hah.

If it were up to the Liberals we would be terrorized by organized crime like in Columbia. Having no police or military is very useful for organized crime and biker gang operations.

And now the Tories have no problems with cabinet ministers being involved with someone who had associations with bikers gangs. The response: It is nobody's business.

[Fortunata]

And now the Tories have no problems with cabinet ministers being involved with someone who had associations with bikers gangs. The response: It is nobody's business.

You know it would only be someone's business if it were a Liberal Minister dating someone with associations with biker gangs. This government has to be the most hypocritical government we've ever had.

[madmax]

How many ministers have left documents in compromising places? The condo of a boyfriend or a girlfriend is the least of security violations.

Only if one is naive.

This may have been ones first perception. But not with all the recent exposure.

Edited May 29, 2008 by madmax

[madmax]

I think you keep forgetting that the girlfriend had associations with organized crime. No matter how many times the Tories say differently, this was much more about security.

No one is forgetting anything. This is purposeful blind ignorance by people who would rather it just go away. What is interesting, is that what might have been considered a nothing story, has evolved into the best COPY and editor can come across to sell both Paper and Electronic Newsfeeds.

There are just too damn many problems with the situation to ignore.

You cannot have association with Organized Crime, and not expect coverage. People posting about it being no big deal, are choosing not to look at what is before them.

This is no longer about a Screw up by the bumbling Bernier. There is more to it then just his error.

Hell the CPC will fire staff for buying movie tickets for gawd sake.

Get the investigation going.

[madmax]

I guess the Liberals can be trusted to seriously deal with the Hell's Angels. Whatever? It is the Liberals policies that allowed these gangs to fluorish in the first place.

That pitch was so lame, a Liberal could make it a home run.

Get a new coach.

You look so weak trying to change the subject, it hurts me to comment.

[madmax]

You know it would only be someone's business if it were a Liberal Minister dating someone with associations with biker gangs. This government has to be the most hypocritical government we've ever had.

It is the Hypocrasy which drives people crazy. In this thread, you have a poster, claiming all these problems upon the LPC. Absurd and stupid as it appears in print, it is posted as if just getting rid of the LPC would solve the problem. Except that the LPC are in opposition and the CPC is behaving the way they claim the LPC behaves.

You are right, the CPC would be all over this if it was a Liberal Quebec Minister leaving Classified documents regarding Security, at the home of a woman with ties to Outlaw Bikers who have businesses providing .....

SECURITY.

THere is no doubt the government is feeling some heat and they should be. This needs to be looked at. Bernier is on the back seat. I can't see the Government to be blamed, other then this obstructionist attitude.

Expose what is going on, and if it is really bad, let Bernier feel more heat.

[guyser]

Cant wait for the CBC or CTV documentary about this.

I suspect Eric McCormack as the Bumblin' Bernier .

Jennifer Tilly or Shannon Tweed as Julie Couillard (I can think of two parts that are similar.)

Leslie Nielson as PM Steve .Drebbin.... Harper..no diff.

Hayden Christensen as Dion . (bad actor, bad Opp leader)

Tom Green as CSIS director

[WIP]

Well, after all of the lying and dodging, the truth is starting to leak out. There were a lot of us who voted for the Conservatives just to get the Liberals out, and now under Harper, the rot is setting in in record time!

Even with Stephan Dion as leader, it looks like Harper isn't going to get a chance to spin the wheel and try for the majority government he's been dreaming about. And, the way things are turning out, I can imagine what he'd be trying to pull if he did have control of Parliament!

[Topaz]

Correct me if I`m wrong, but shouldn`t the parliamentary secretary have caught the fact the documents were missing because they are numbered and that its their job as secretary to keep things organized and IF so, shouldn`t they lose their job?

[madmax]

Well, after all of the lying and dodging, the truth is starting to leak out. There were a lot of us who voted for the Conservatives just to get the Liberals out, and now under Harper, the rot is setting in in record time!

The cracks in the CPC superior integrity appeared the Day Emerson appeared and the Bagman Fortier became an appointed Senator and Minister.

Even with Stephan Dion as leader, it looks like Harper isn't going to get a chance to spin the wheel and try for the majority government he's been dreaming about. And, the way things are turning out, I can imagine what he'd be trying to pull if he did have control of Parliament!

The CPC are not losing ground in Quebec, not yet, not even with the Bernier Fiasco hot in the press.

However....

It would appear that the NDP have surpassed the Liberals in Quebec, for the 1st time in history.

And Mulcair appears to be a strong NDP voice in the Province.

Headline Lightweight MP appointed in a bid for Quebec votes

Tall, handsome and well turned out, Bernier was viewed as an attractive vote-getter. But, though he holds degrees in business and law, he had very little background in the intricacies of international relations. "Whatever other qualities he might have, he was obviously singularly unprepared for this job in terms of his training and experience," NDP MP Thomas Mulcair (Outremont) said.

The headlines

[Vancouver King]

It would appear that the NDP have surpassed the Liberals in Quebec, for the 1st time in history.

And Mulcair appears to be a strong NDP voice in the Province.

Really, where is your source for above? The latest posted poll shows NDP support in Quebec in free fall - from 13% down to 5% - a staggering drop of 60% month over month. Liberal support was gauged at 22%, more than 4 times the NDP number. Of the 3 main parties only the Bloc benefited from this crash, now back to traditional levels at 40%.

Hard to imagine Harper's action of promoting Bernier will have any result other than a hit to Conservative Quebec numbers.

[madmax]

Really, where is your source for above? The latest posted poll shows NDP support in Quebec in free fall - from 13% down to 5% - a staggering drop of 60% month over month. Liberal support was gauged at 22%, more than 4 times the NDP number. Of the 3 main parties only the Bloc benefited from this crash, now back to traditional levels at 40%.

Hard to imagine Harper's action of promoting Bernier will have any result other than a hit to Conservative Quebec numbers.

http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews...925681620080529

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Liberal Party has slipped to a shaky fourth place in Quebec, the country's second most populous province, a new poll revealed on Thursday.

The Liberals have held off defeating the minority Conservative federal government partly because of consistent showings in national polls that put them a close second.

However, the latest CROP survey in La Presse newspaper gives them little reason for optimism.

It showed the Liberals trailing the separatist Bloc Quebecois, the Conservatives and now even the New Democratic Party across the largely French-speaking province.

The Liberals also trail the Conservatives in Montreal, which had been considered the their stronghold.

"Nothing is working for (leader) Stephane Dion's Liberals in Quebec," La Presse commented.

Hope this helps

The poll gave the Bloc, the only separatist party in the federal Parliament, 31 percent support, up three points in the past month. It put the Conservatives up one point at 28 percent, the New Democrats down one point at 16 percent and the Liberals down five points at 15 percent. Continued...

I found the poll while referencing Bernier. And the polls are also showing that the CPC isn't being affected by the scandal in Quebec.

Really a win win situation, because Bernier won the seat by 26,000 votes.

in a nailbiter ..... and the CPC can't afford to lose ground in Quebec because of Bernier.

The Liberals haven't gained and perhaps this poll result should be moved to another thread.

Regardless, Bernier shouldn't run for office again, because he is incompetent.

Edited May 29, 2008 by madmax

[MontyBurns]

You look so weak trying to change the subject, it hurts me to comment.

What looks weak are all the treehugger leftists who are too wimpy to crack down on biker gangs, foreign criminals, the mafia, and so on.

[Wild Bill]

Well, after all of the lying and dodging, the truth is starting to leak out. There were a lot of us who voted for the Conservatives just to get the Liberals out, and now under Harper, the rot is setting in in record time!

Even with Stephan Dion as leader, it looks like Harper isn't going to get a chance to spin the wheel and try for the majority government he's been dreaming about. And, the way things are turning out, I can imagine what he'd be trying to pull if he did have control of Parliament!

Perhaps you should keep some perspective. I too voted for Harper and now notice a bit of a smell but it would have to intensify by quantum levels before it stank as bad as the Liberals!

Bernier is chump change compared to Adscam!

[Alta4ever]

Did anyone listen to Adler today.

They made a great point about this non story.

Their is a certain hypocrisy to this, the liberals talking about security when they actively sent MPs to Tamli Tiger fundraisers.

Not to mention what is an association? Kind of a lose word, she has never been charged with anything. This has been nothing but another smear campaign from the start. This is disgraceful behaviour from both the liberals and the media.

Edited May 30, 2008 by Alta4ever

[jdobbin]

Not to mention what is an association? Kind of a lose word, she has never been charged with anything. This has been nothing but another smear campaign from the start. This is disgraceful behaviour from both the liberals and the media.

The Tories dismissed and continue to dismiss any security concerns in regards to this. How do you think the Hell's Angel's would seek to infiltrate the federal government? Does this sound like one possible way?

[Alta4ever]

The Tories dismissed and continue to dismiss any security concerns in regards to this. How do you think the Hell's Angel's would seek to infiltrate the federal government? Does this sound like one possible way?

I think you have to much time on your hands.

Its got to be a scary scary world for conspiracy theorists.

Edited May 30, 2008 by Alta4ever

[jdobbin]

What looks weak are all the treehugger leftists who are too wimpy to crack down on biker gangs, foreign criminals, the mafia, and so on.

Just how are the Tories cracking down on biker gangs, the mafia and foreign criminals? Seems like they are inviting them into the bedroom.

[guyser]

I think you have to much time on your hands.

Its got to be a scary scary world for conspiracy theorists.

Ahh...good to see you got the memo.

Security experts = conspiracy theorists.

Who knew.

They made a great point about this non story.

You mean the one thats been running all week or the one about kids of MP's being hired? No and yes.

[jdobbin]

I think you have to much time on your hands.

Its got to be a scary scary world for conspiracy theorists.

Note to CSIS and RCMP: You are just a bunch of conspiracy theorists with your claims that a relationship with someone with long term biker associations might pose a security threat.

Edited May 30, 2008 by jdobbin

[Alta4ever]

Ahh...good to see you got the memo.

Security experts = conspiracy theorists.

Who knew.

You mean the one thats been running all week or the one about kids of MP's being hired? No and yes.

Apparently if the shoe fits.

scary scary scary..............This is, was nothing more then a man taking his work home with him. I'd like you to find someone in the NDP, bloc, or liberals party or a worker in any other industry.

Glad to see you been reading conspiracy weekly.

It really pains you people to see a common sense government, rather then a a bunch a half wits who find the world a scary and unfair place once they leave the university campus.

"A conservative at 20 is heartless, a liberal at 60 is brainless." - anonymous

[jdobbin]

Apparently if the shoe fits.

scary scary scary..............This is, was nothing more then a man taking his work home with him. I'd like you to find someone in the NDP, bloc, or liberals party or a worker in any other industry.

And leaving them with a girlfriend for five weeks who was has had close relations to the Hell's Angels for years.

[Alta4ever]

Note to CSIS and RCMP: You are just a bunch of conspiracy theorists with your claims that a relationship with someone with long term biker associations might pose a security threat.

Note she has no charges or convinctions.

What you have is people dragging the name of a lady through the mud, for nothing but political gain.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Bernier has paid the price for his error, he has lost his cabinate position.

David Asper on the Maxime Bernier pile-on: An attack driven by hypocrisy and sexism

It's time to cut through the nonsense and take a serious look at what is really going in the salacious swirl that has taken down Maxime Bernier and vilified his former girlfriend Julie Couillard.

Leading the charge on the file, with breathless claims about Canada’s security interests, are the Liberals. Give me a break. This is the same party that coddled the Tamil Tigers’ Canadian supporters as part of its larger plan to ingratiate itself with targeted ethnic communities. In case anyone has forgotten, the Tigers are one of the world’s most ruthless terrorist organizations. And as the National Post’s own Stewart Bell has reported, much of their funding originates in Canada.

It took a change of government before the Tigers were declared a terrorist organization in Canada — something many in the international community, senior Canadian diplomats and well-informed commentators (such as Martin Collacott) had been demanding for a long time.

Does one man’s careless conduct rise to the same level as a whole political party’s systematic coddling of supporters of a known terror organization? Why, all of a sudden, are the Liberals getting on a high horse and trumpeting “national security”?

One word: sex — and maybe, a second, sexism.

Look at the coverage of this story. Have we as a society become so stupid that what Ms. Couillard wore to Mr. Bernier’s swearing-in ceremony is deemed a matter of substantive political relevance? Yet this is the point of departure for almost all reporting on the subject. It is absolutely demeaning and sexist.

Another link in the critics’ twisted logic is that, because Ms. Couillard had a past association with people connected in some way with biker gangs in Quebec, she herself is somehow morally guilty of an unspecified transgression. Yet, Ms. Couillard has never been charged, convicted or even rumoured to have been personally involved with anything illegal.

Many of the same critics hounding the pair are on the same team as those who attended de facto fundraisers for terrorists in the Martin-Chrétien era. Does anyone else see the hypocrisy at play here?

So, lets get to the heart of the story.

In order to slow the momentum of the Conservatives in Quebec, it was expedient for the opposition parties to take down one of the Tories’ rising stars. They lucked into an opportunity to titillate the public and media by raising questions about a low-cut dress, thereby ensuring massive saturation and dissemination of the photos. Most of the Canadian media started looking like a Sun Media page-three photo. Then, add a touch of bad-girl "biker chick" innuendo — and our libido-driven prurient interests come alive.

The last part of the story — namely, the forgotten secret briefing note — is, of course, an issue of genuine concern, and Mr. Bernier’s behaviour on this score is genuinely unacceptable. For that, he has paid the price.

I wonder, though, whether any former Liberal Cabinet minister ever took work home and forgot it when he or she went to work the next morning? Does it matter whether “home” is marital or otherwise? Apparently, it does — but only because opposition politicians laid the groundwork for Ms. Coulliard to be demonized beforehand as some kind of risqué sex kitten. As a result, the drama played out on the basis that a confidential briefing note was left in the residence of a “hot biker chick,” as opposed to a trusted significant other.

The Liberals should be ashamed for masking their muckraking as though they are the paragons of virtue in the matter, and we all should be ashamed for letting them get away with it.

We should all grow up, take a deep breath and realize that the whole thing is rather insulting and intellectually dishonest on a number of levels. Aside from the faux-pas involving the briefing note, neither Mr. Bernier nor Ms. Couillard deserve the trashing they have taken from holier-than-thou opposition hypocrites.

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/f...and-sexism.aspx

Seems like hes got the number of a few on this board as well.

[Alta4ever]

And leaving them with a girlfriend for five weeks who was has had close relations to the Hell's Angels for years.

Ah but she didn't.

She dated a few of them.....but the rest your speculation.

For someone who pretends to be all about the facts you do an awful lot of speculating.

[scribblet]

And leaving them with a girlfriend for five weeks who was has had close relations to the Hell's Angels for years.

Leaving the documents somewhere is a no no, that was a breach, the rest is personal.

I too would like to know exactly what these 'close relations' are, no one seems to know or be able to be more specific, so until there's is some proof she had illegal involvement etc. it's all drive by smears.