This could be HIGHLY embarrasing!

From everyone’s new favourite water cooler blog in Ottawa:

Now most know by now that Air Farce is at its last kick with the show going off the air latter this year. So anyway (Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien) is up at the mic and (Luba Goy) is up at the mic and Luba says something to Larry like “I’ll be looking for a job can you help me out?” So Larry says - so Larry says - now keep in mind John Baird’s in the audience - Larry says something like, “Well I see John Baird is in the audience, maybe I can talk to him to see if he can get you an appointment.” Better yet, Larry’s standing up there as he says it expecting people to laugh yet the laughter didn’t come. No one laughed. Baird, clearly pissed, gets up and walks out.

I don’t have confirmation on this yet or Larry’s exact quote but if this is true — wow. What a guy. what. a. guy.

Unsure why this is such a big deal? Read this.

Update: Two city hall sources confirm Larry’s quote today.  Sweet mother of God.  This guy is such an embarrassment to our great city.

Lion on the Loose!

But rest assured, the lion’s owner says the African lion is not dangerous! Right. He was just kept in a cage, tied to a chain because … it was convenient? Oh and the lion has only been in the owner’s possession for two days…

Neighbours tell CTV Ottawa that they saw the man walking his pet as if it were a dog…

Madely: Sex ed boosts STD spread

Steve Madely, host of CFRA’s Madely in the Morning and a staunch Conservative supporter, made me go “huh?” this morning. It was a more pronounced “huh” than normal too!

This is one of his top five “news” bits of the day…

Looks like the all the sex education, the free condoms, and all the classes on safe sex have just boosted the complacency among young people. The rates of Chlamydia and gonorrhea in 15-to-24-year-old females increased 89% and 88% respectively from 1997 to 2007. In males the same age, Chlamydia rates more than doubled and gonorrhea rates more than tripled in the same time. Can’t teach abstinence though. Just give ‘em a condom and hope they use it.

Maybe a few facts would help? Does Madely have any proof that teaching teens sex education or giving them condoms “boosts complacency”? Can he make a correlation between the two? Not on his morning show he couldn’t!

In fact, if you read on you’ll note that he’s unhappy that abstinence isn’t taught and suggests the attitude is “just give ‘em a condom and hope they use it.”

Well, perhaps that’s not working 100%. Perhaps teens aren’t using condoms as much as they should and they’re not paying attention to the advice of health experts as much as they should.

But what’s to say they’re going to listen to those who preach total abstinence, Steve!?!?!

Again, where are his facts that teaching sex education “boosts complacency” amongst teens?

Conservative MP’s: Pathetic

They don’t have confidence in Elections Canada!

Then again the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada once called the top brass at Elections Canada a bunch of “jackasses” who were “out of control”. You used to be so eloquent in your younger years, Mr. Prime Minister.

Steve V has an excellent question for Pierre Poilievre.  He outlines it nicely on his blog.   In short he asks Pierre that if, like Pierre claims, all other parties have pulled this “in and out stunt” like the Conservatives then why haven’t any losing former Liberal, NDP or Bloc candidates come forward like Conservatives have come forward?

I can answer that.  Because Pierre is full of shit.

That “culture of excellence” he promised

Our mayor promised a new “culture of excellence” down at City Hall during the last election.  Even with everything that has hit the fan in the past year and a half, one has to frown when they look on this latest dust up between Larry and another councillor…

Tue, April 29, 2008

Mayor blasts Kanata councillor

O’Brien calls Wilkinson’s comments ‘a complete fabrication’

“What she’s saying is a complete fabrication,” said O’Brien. “The fabrication by Coun. Wilkinson is meant to undermine the process and a blatant attempt to move her own political agenda forward.”

…

“Except for Marianne, most councillors have been able to focus on the big picture,” he said. “What Coun. Wilkinson is doing is damaging to the process and is damaging to the City of Ottawa.”

Wilkinson said the mayor is selling the latest plan to the city, but will vote for the interim O-Train extension solution instead.

Wilkinson also told a community newspaper last week that O’Brien told her that was his intention.

Larry denies her claims.  But who has more credibility on this issue?  Really.  Coun. Wilkinson or the mayor who promised to “study light rail for six months before taking any action”.

I hate to play “gotcha” against the mayor (again!) but really Larry, that six month plan of yours turned out to be a fabrication, meant to undermine the process and a blatant attempt to move your own political agenda forward.

Larry has been more lost on LRT than any other issue, except for maybe raising taxes.  Oh and ethics.  Maybe staffing too.  OK, whatever, but you get my point!

Zero credibility means Zero credibility.

Liberals grow restless.

We need an election. This time, a fair one.

I’d like to see the hotel “nvoices”

I’m not accusing the Conservatives of passing off the hefty costs associated with renting two downtown Ottawa hotel meeting rooms at the last minute but I’d just like to make sure, confirm or double check that the Tories paid for the stunt out of their own pocket.

Actually the whole purpose of this is so that I see an expense from the Tories that properly reads “Invoice” at the top instead of “nvoice”.  Maybe they meant to spell “novices”?

“Next Stop: Calian!”

OC Transpo’s manager of business development and partnership is advocating we hand over bus stops and transit stations to corporations. Well, the station names at least.

It’s one thing to give the thing a name like “Calian” (cough, cough) or “Nortel Station” or who knows what else but he isn’t doing a swell job of selling his idea in Saturday’s Ottawa Citizen nor is the Citizen helping him sell the idea.

The newspaper points out that if Patrick Curran had his way “the Terry Fox transit station could become, say, the Terry Matthews station — if the price is right and the name sits well with bus riders.” That won’t sit well.

But then this…

He pointed out that St. Laurent Shopping Centre, by virtue of its location on St. Laurent Boulevard, has a transit station bearing its name.

That’s a bit of a stretch.  That’s like saying “Queensway Tours” has a transit station bearing its name.

I don’t think it’s a horrible idea but it could get carried away. So if we do go commercial I’ll be the first to buy bus stop 8308 which is at the corner of Anderson Rd and Innes Rd and name it “The Larry O’Brien Last Stop” bus stop.

You know, just because.

Canada Missing on the World Stage

“We’ve seen essentially no global leadership from Canada on poverty, hunger, disease, climate change and foreign assistance.  This has been a huge surprise for me as a lifelong admirer of Canada, that we don’t see the ambition of the Canadian people manifested in Canada’s policies right now,” said special adviser to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Jeffrey Sachs.

Poilievre’s Brilliant Radio Interview!

It’s so good I’ve taken the time to transcribe it for those stuck in the office without speakers. So Pierre joins radio host Charles Adler to discuss the Conservatives “in and out” scheme and things go awry for Pierre. Scott is right, maybe he is the spokesperson the Tories should use.

Charles Adler: “If you were in opposition and a member of the Tory opposition and the Liberals were in power and the Liberal government of the day was suing a government agency — Elections Canada — would you think that was a good day for you as a Tory? “

Pierre Poilievre: “I don’t, I really, I don’t (inaudible mutters).”

Adler: “It’s actually a very easy question. I just want an answer. If you don’t want to give me an answer, that’s fine, it’s a free country. But I think it’s a very easy question.”

Pierre: “We, the answer is that we never - I - would never would want Elections Canada to be bias toward any party… Liberal or Conservative.”

Adler: (Laughs) “That doesn’t answer the question. My question is, politically is it not a good day for your opponents when you, the government of the day, are suing … SUING an agency of the government?”

Pierre: “Well, the government isn’t suing any … anyone it’s the Conservative Party.”

Adler: “Well the party is the party of government. OK, I don’t want to get into semantics. You don’t want to answer the question? That’s fine.”

The heated exchange continues and you can listen to it here:

Pierre: “The only candidates who have said that are people who have now joined other political parties and have since found it very convenient to attack the Conservatives …”

Adler: “I’m talking about emails about back then, Pierre. I’d really rather have an honest discussion here.”

(The two talk over one another for the next part)

Pierre: “Yeah and you’re going to get an honest discussion — inaudible mutter — because that’s exactly what I said.”

Adler: “Let’s try to do — to do —… This is embarrasing. “

Pierre: “Well you’re right.”

Moments later Pierre tries to stick it to Adler:

Adler: “Pierre you’re not on firm ground if you want to talk about ‘optics’. I mean look at the optics at what happened over the weekend where Tories were selecting certain media people and taking them into certain hotel rooms and going out the back door and all that kind of stuff. Those are the optics that the average Canadian thinks about right now because they’re the most recent and they’re the most egregious.

Pierre: “Yeah I was just out door knocking today — that didn’t come up once. But I appreciate you bringing it up. Most people understand that uh — politicians, just like anyone else, can decide with whom they do and do not meet. It’s called “freedom of association”.

So in other words Pierre — that didn’t come up once because you chose to knock on your friend’s doors?! Another brilliant moment in the political life of Pierre Poilievre.

Here Pierre is seen arm and arm with a man facing two criminal charges in connection with his election, Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien:

“It’s called freedom of association.”

(Except wait — is John Baird allowed freedom to associate with Larry?)

Worst. Spokesperson. Ever.

Pierre Poilievre.

Michelle Malkin is a real piece of work

Ultra conservative U.S. blogger Michelle Malkin (picture someone giving Ann Coulter a keyboard and an internet connection) hits a new low tonight with this creation.

Sure candidates can’t stop anyone from supporting them (even though Malkin takes it to the extreme) but to say Clinton and Obama are “friends with terrorist” is absurd. Her views are sick.

Hat tip Quizlaw.com

Watch what you say Bernard Lord

Tonight on Mike Duffy Live (why do I still watch it?) Conservative “supporter” (I really don’t know what his title is anymore) Bernard Lord said that Elections Canada called up the CBC and the Liberal Party of Canada to inform the two that the Conservative Party HQ’s were about to be raided by the RCMP last week.

Given the rumours I’ve heard in Ottawa about how in fact the media was informed about the raid, I would suggest Lord watch what he say about this issue. Those talking points could really come back to haunt.

City Hall is kind of a joke…

Randall Denley writes in today’s Ottawa Citizen:

The people who want to develop the portrait gallery had to listen to councillors spout poetry, and a company with a leading technology for treating sewage got slammed so that another company’s development plans can go ahead. And that was on a day that was, on balance, more successful than average.

Sue Sherring writes in today’s Ottawa Sun:

Bad poetry wasn’t the only the mishap at council yesterday.

For whatever reason, Barrhaven Coun. Jan Harder and Bay Coun. Alex Cullen were behaving like cats and dogs yesterday, openly and loudly fighting right on the floor of council.

During a discussion on parking, Harder wandered over to talk to Cullen.

She whispered something in his ear, and he exploded, accusing her of trying to “blackmail” him.

Not to be outdone, Harder shot back, calling him an “idiot.”

Rumour has it that Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien started to recite a poem but was swiftly interrupted by a staffer after it started, “There once was a man from…”

MP Cheryl Gallant on Bottled Water!

I just adore Cheryl Gallant. One time I logged onto her website last year and noted that she was still using the Canadian Aliance logo as part of her website banner. Then the big guy at the PMO unleashed the streamlined MP websites and the old website went poof!

So I trotted on over to www.cherylgallant.com tonight for a good laugh and read all about how my favourite Conservative MP marked Earth Day.

MP Cheryl Gallant, MP Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke celebrated Earth Day by taking a drink of water from the tap instead of a plastic bottle.

Her news release goes on to quote Cheryl:

“It starts at the personal level with putting disposable coffee cups in the recycling bin instead of out the window of a vehicle and drinking water from the tap instead of a plastic bottle.”

She’s making sense people. Cheryl is making sense!

So why don’t more people drink water straight from the kitchen faucet? Some people drink bottled water because they think it is better for them than water out of the tap, but that’s not true. In Canada, our municipalities make sure water from the faucet is safe.

Errr well let’s not talk about that provincial Conservative government a few years ago, whatever. At least it’s gotten better since Walkerton. Moving on, she slams us with more facts.

Plastic bottles use a lot of fossil fuels and pollute the environment. Canadians in 2005 bought 1.9 billion litres of water! In order to make all those bottles, manufacturers use millions of barrels of crude oil, enough oil to keep a million cars going for months. Imagine a water bottle filled a quarter of the way up with oil. That’s about how much oil was needed to produce the bottle.

Turns out, according to her website, Cheryl loves her oil. Typical Conservative