Tory MP Peter Goldring's bizarre rant re the guilt or innocence of Metis leader Louis Riel has kicked up a fair storm of letter writing to and editorializing in Western province media outlets.
Furthermore, the resultant controversy also appears to have dinged Winnipeg MP Rod Bruinooge, who is himself Metis. On February 21, Bruinooge stated to reporters at the Winnipeg Free Press that, though he disagreed with Goldring's tirade, he also disagreed with the private member's bill which inspired it (This bill was introduced in November by Winnipeg NDP MP Pat Martin; it would exonerate Riel and erect a monument to him on Parliament Hill). Bruinooge said:
...if Métis leaders don't agree on how to deal with Riel's conviction, Martin should stay out of it.
"I don't think a non-Métis politician has any business getting into this," said Bruinooge.
Whoopsie! apology time!
"Right after I told you that Pat Martin as a non-Métis politician had no business in this debate I thought to myself how I really didn`t hold that philosophy and how it wasn`t a fair thing to say," Bruinooge wrote [the Winnipeg Free Press' Mia Rabson] in an email Sunday afternoon.
As for Mr. Martin, he is happy with the apology but thinks it was coerced:
"I never question the motives of an apology but I have no doubt the PMO ripped his head off for this," said Martin. `They do not want to be on the wrong side of this. Quebec was scorched earth for the Conservatives from the day they lynched Riel until the Diefenbaker years."
I like how he prefaces his questioning of the motives of the apology by claiming he's not questioning the motives of the apology. These NDP politicians aren't so hopelessly goody two-shoed after all.
I like how he prefaces his questioning of the motives of the apology by claiming he's not questioning the motives of the apology.
ReplyDeleteThat's a rhetorical tick that's common to a lot of liberals/lefties. It's almost masochistic in its desire to articulate to their adversaries their next line of attack.
I think the media has dropped the ball somewhat on the whole issue of MP Golding's rant, failing to recognize that it is anything but new... and was most certainly not inspired by Pat Martin's private member's bill.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, it's little more than a reprint of two pieces, dating from from 1999 and 2002, written by Goldring when he was Veteran’s Affairs critic for the Canadian Alliance. You'll find a link to both here.
Note that there is a hint that the writing is older on the final page of the brochure, which refers to Mr Martin's bill in an "UPDATE", and contains a statement describing the brochure as part of a “series intended to highlight special issues that Member of Parliament, Peter Goldring, has been involved in.”