Is this proof John Baird should resign as Foreign Affairs Minister or that he listens and admits mistakes?
Just days after travelling all the way to Jordan to announce some $2 million in aid, Baird confirmed Wednesday that the government will not be providing the money to the group known as Canadian Relief for Syria. (see here)
I had asked why Baird would give $2,000,000 to a group linked to Omar Khadr’s al-Qaeda supporting father and was assured by Baird’s press secretary that this money will be “used appropriately” (see here) so what happened in the last couple days to make this untrue?
I guess the follow-up questions I had
- why was Canadian Relief for Syria chosen when it a) has no charity designation b) been funnelling money to HCI prior?
were in fact, unanswerable.
Also keep in mind that PM Stephen Harper was forced to take responsibility for this funding at a Toronto press conference:
“I’m told that they have the appropriate connections by which to deliver aid on the ground” (see here)
Who is now taking responsibility for what should have been an obvious no-brainer right from the start and how does this keep happening?
First we saw had the $2.5M Maoist monument in Tony Clement’s riding (see here) and now they give money to this. With dozens of people working in PMO Communications division, how are these things not caught before they’re announced?
Are there no actual conservatives in the government who realise that funding Khadr-linked charities is a bad idea?”
August 15, 2012 at 2:44 PM
No minister can be totally aware of everything , and while I am not defending Baird , he may have been sandbagged.
Don’t forget that the civil service , after years of Liberal rule , is permeated with liberal-minded bureaucrats and It is entirely possible that those same left-leaning bureaucrats sandbagged Baird on this issue.
If so there is a simple way to send a message … the guy who wrote the report is fired or reassigned to some lousy position. Only then will the message sink in.
Wouldn’t be the first time … remember Joe Clark’s first international visit and all the luggage was “lost”.
August 15, 2012 at 5:15 PM
Good points and entirely plausible.
August 15, 2012 at 5:54 PM
Hope you feel that way when Harpers’ language cops descend on Van airport.
August 16, 2012 at 2:37 AM
IMO the position of Language Commissioner/Commissar should be abolished. The recent actions of the current one, spying on Canadians doing their jobs is proof he has little to do to fill his time. It’s just another example of pushing French where it isn’t needed.
August 15, 2012 at 6:20 PM
Good points,Brian. At least the Tories have the decency to admit they acted hastily,rather than brazen it out.
I’ve noticed a few MSM “journalists” have called for Harper to consider military support of the Syrian rebels,as they always do when the word “rebel” is used.
Again,Harper has shown common sense in limiting aid to verifiable medical aid,and i suppose moral support.
Let’s allow the Shiites and Sunnis to work out their difficulties on their own,without our intervention, for once.
August 16, 2012 at 9:13 AM
[...] through the controversial aid group, Canadian Relief for Syria, which has Conservative blogger BC Blue asking if this move is proof that Baird should resign or that “he listens and admits [...]
August 16, 2012 at 5:30 PM
This seems to happen with the same few ministers every time. That says something as well. Its almost always Clement, Moore, Oda (resigned), and now Baird. Maybe a cabinet shuffle needs to happen.