Kirsty Duncan: The Science Minister And Science

So Kirsty Duncan once supported a "largely disproven MS treatment" known as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, or CCSVI.  And indeed it seems like the treatment is not particularly effective, and the theory behind it hasn't been borne out.  But it might have been.  It takes time to determine such things; they can't usually be shown a priori. And most of her statements in regards to CCSVI are several years old; the Motherboard (who?) thing refers to the presentation of a parliamentary petition, which usually does not signify commitment from the MP doing the presenting (although I admit I once mercilessly hounded CPC MP Mike Lake over this).  And in Science its OK to get things wrong; the problem is persisting in folly when your wrongness has been demonstrated.  We shall see how Ms. Duncan conducts herself in future re this issue.  That's the proof in the pudding.

PS.  The remainder of the NP article reads like a gossip column, so I didn't bother addressing the claims in it.

PPS.  This is genuinely douchy.  Sure its just another junk email in your inbox, and I'm sure Kent Hehr's original sentiments were genuine.  But its still using Remembrance Day to harvest email addresses so as to hit people up for donations a few months down the line.  Tut Tut! Justin Trudeau. Tut Tut! 

Mike Lake's Blast From The Past

Before the Harper government chose Mike Lake as one of their point men for the long-form census debate, his most notable achievement was to be conned into submitting a petition to place Bigfoot on the endangered species list by a well-known Bigfoot hoaxer. Despite what he was saying way back then, he was not compelled to present that petition. And in any case, these days he's using a different and contradictory argument for his actions.

And the answer to that new argument is: no, you don't have to agree with the petitions you present, but they shouldn't be ridiculous time-wasters that trivialize Parliament, either.

EmbarassaTory Sunday: Mike Lake And Bigfoot

Back in May of 2007, Conservative MP Mike Lake (Edmonton, Mill Woods-Beaumont) recieved a thorough reaming from both the blogosphere and MSM for taking a constituent petition to the House of Commons that would have had Bigfoot protected under the Canadian Species at Risk Act. I must admit I played a small role in the pile-on when I discovered that the man behind the petition was "Bigfoot researcher" Todd Standing, whose greatest claim to fame in the world of crypto-zoology was 12 seconds of some pretty iffy looking Bigfoot footage, and a "documentary" on Bigfoot entitled Sylvanic that apparently involved some very bad acting.

The intensity of the ridicule grew so intense that Mr. Lake eventually disowned his petition:

The press release [issued May 3rd] is the only statement that Mr. Lake will be making. He is not responding to any media requests in the hope that this issue will go away. Mr. Lake does not believe in Bigfoot!

Remember this, Edmonton voters, when the time comes!


Here a Bigfoot, feeling sad and betrayed by his erstwhile champion, leaves Edmonton behind.

Will Conservative MP Mike Lake Denounce Bigfoot Porn Flick?

What next for poor Mike Lake, Conservative MP for Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont? First, his "Save Bigfoot" petition blew up in his face, and now the very creature he sacrificed his credibility to rescue has been caught doing porno. Witness "The Geek", a fifteen minute short featuring three hikers (two guys and a gal) and a randy Sasquatch. Is this what Mr Lake and the Conservative Party of Canada are wasting the nation's time over? Perhaps we should leave Bigfoot's preservation up to the private sector!

Although alanborky at Cryptomundo said something that really made me think:

[Movie description:]one of the hiker guys grabs one of his lady friends by the hand and pulls her toward Bigfoot. He coaxes her into making contact with the beast. Demurely, she approaches and holds out her delicate hand. Bigfoot sniffs her politely, then…

... this might be me being a bit too clever, but the above snippet of scene description immediately brought to my mind that part of the Ancient Sumerian Gilgamesh epic where Gilgamesh arranges for his potential adversary the wild man Enkidu to lose his innocence by being seduced by a temple courtesan.

You could argue, then, that ‘porno’ and ‘Bigfoot’ have been connected right from the dawn of civilisation.

Frankly, I don't see how you could argue against it.

Mike Lake Distances Himself From Bigfoot Petition!

Edmonton 's Conservative MP Mike Lake is distancing himself from the Bigfoot petition he presented to the HOC! His office has been in touch with Cryptomundo's Craig Woolheater:

The press release [issued May 3rd] is the only statement that Mr. Lake will be making. He is not responding to any media requests in the hope that this issue will go away. Mr. Lake does not believe in Bigfoot!

Meanwhile, abandoned by his erstwhile champion, a saddened Bigfoot marches dejectedly away from Edmonton.



h/t to Cryptomundo, without which this blog could not exist.

You Had A Choice, Mr. Lake, You Could Have Said NO To Bigfoot

"Monkey Man" Mike Lake (Conservative MP for Edmonton, Mill Woods-Beaumont) employs the John Turner Defense when trying to explain why he has wasted the nation's precious time with a "save Bigfoot" petition that he presented to the HOC on behalf of a number of his constituents, primarily Bigfoot "discoverer" Todd Standing :

“You don’t make judgment calls on petitions,” Lake told Sun Media yesterday. “We try to do it as a service to constituents.”

Actually, this is false, perhaps deliberately so. You do make judgement calls on petitions, according to Petitioning The House of Commons: A Practical Guide

Nothing in the rules or practices of the House of Commons requires a Member to present a petition he or she has received. The Member may even ask another Member to present the petition.

So the question remains: why, Monkey Man, why? And further, why didn't known control freak Stephen Harper put a spike through this thing? Has he lost control of his back-benchers?

Bigfoot Hoaxer Behind Mike Lake's Save Bigfoot Petition!

Yesterday, it was reported here and elsewhere that Conservative MP Mike Lake (Edmonton, Mill Woods-Beaumont) was taking a constituent petition to the House of Commons that would have Bigfoot protected under the Canadian Species at Risk Act. Ridiculous enough already, yes, but then I caught this little tidbit in the Vancouver Province:

Bigfoot researcher Todd Standing, who was behind the petition, claims to have proof of the sasquatch's existence and says he fears for its safety.

Thank god I read Cryptomundo, for the name "Todd Standing" jumped right out at me. Todd Standing in fact bills himself as the "discoverer" of Bigfoot, and he has gained some stature in the world of Cryptozoology, having among other things been interviewed by Art Bell. Unfortunately, his greatest claim to fame has been 12 seconds of some pretty iffy looking Bigfoot footage, and a "documentary" on Bigfoot entitled Sylvanic that apparently involved some very bad acting.

Now he is crowing like a mad thing about his "success" in getting Mr. Lake's help with the petition:

Now that we’re in the nation’s business, people are going to start taking me seriously. People ask me, ‘Why would you do it? It doesn’t make any sense.’

“Of course it makes sense, because I’ve really found the species. Anyone could go out and execute these animals, and I can’t allow that to transpire.”

Our new government at work, showing how it's in touch with the grassroots! Magnificent!

(Meanwhile hordes of grateful Bigfeet are heading to Edmonton to help in Mr. Lake's re-election efforts! See below.)