Saturday, July 25, 2009

Cannon Shoots His Mouth Off Again

Something that I find absolutely astonishing about this government, is how some MP's blurt out stupid things...all the time. There are innocent things or at least those that don't directly impact anyone, like Cheryl Gallant mocking the notion of Climate Change recently, but then there are other things that truly are dangerous.

When the Ronald Smith (Cdn on death row) issue was raised in the HoC, more than one Conservative MP stood and recited what he'd been charged with and went on to characterise him. This at the very time that he was attempting to put together a clemency case. Surely, those kinds of proclamations are not helpful and could actually hurt his case. The same is true of Omar Khadr.

Now we have Lawrence Cannon suggesting that Suaad Haji Mohamud hasn't been forthcoming in asserting that she is Canadian.

"The individual has to be straightforward, has to let us know whether or not she is a Canadian citizen," Cannon told reporters in Ottawa.

"She's saying so, but there is no tangible proof to the effect. All Canadians who hold passports generally have a picture that is identical in their passport to what they claim to be."

Forgetting the poorly phrased last sentence, what absolute nonsense. Who looks identical to their passport photo? That aside though, how unhelpful is it for a member of this government to throw yet more doubt into this case. Idiotic and dangerous.

(BTW, would it be too much to ask the media to lighten and enlarge the photo on the passport and put it side by side with a contemporary one of her not smiling?)

Furthermore, what more can the woman do? She's produced a passport, drivers license, health card...I don't know about you but I sure as hell don't walk around with my own fingerprints or DNA test.

The government that is supposed to help in these situations, our government, had clearly decided that she wasn't worth it. Oh, they will help now supposedly, now that the case has gone public and they've received pressure, but what do you think her fate would have been had no one reported on it?

More and more cases are surfacing and getting noticed. That's a good thing. That this seems to be a pattern is a very worrisome thing though.

Tomorrow I hope to connect the dots a bit on a number of these cases, or at the very least present a picture in broader terms of what is going on here rather than deal with individual cases.

(Thanks to commenter Joseph for the link to this story.)

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think her ex husband and family want her DNA test..I guess to match up with some hair of hers at home. Would a hair sample be all they could use ?
Cannon thinks she is someone else,. The only way anyone else could have her Health card, is for someone to have done her in. That is what Cannon thinks, and we all know their is not too much upstairs there.
This government is sick.

Cari said...

This is very tiring..when does Cannon ever think for the good of anyone? Is it only if you are white, he will act?
The government is very racist.

@ottawasteph said...

Smith and Mohamud don't fall within the CPC's narrow criteria for help, i.e. white damsel in distress. (Well, maybe if Preston Manning or Brian Mulroney got in trouble overseas. Maybe.)

As soon as the lawyers become involved, however, they'll be using that old chestnut: no comment, before the courts, wouldn't want to compromise the case, blablabla.

In the meantime, these prolific ad hominem artists are doing what they do best: character assassination.

It won't cost them too many votes, because their bloodthirsty, bigoted base believes that our Charter rights end when we leave Canada.

Did you know that not all Cabinet ministers were born in Canada? Shocking!

Anonymous said...

Keep drinking the Kool Aid you Libtards......

Omar said...

Keep acting like a child, moron..

Anonymous said...

I recall the talking points in QP always included the fact that the victims murdered were Native Americans. They play the race card when it damn well suits them. No surprises there. LJK

Karen said...

Anon, indeed they are.

Karen said...

Cari, it's more than tiring imo. It's scary. We're becoming or have become what most of us abhor.

Karen said...

Steph C...Shocked I am! We have MP's who are just visiting here? The horror! The disgrace!

What did they learn? What do they know? Oh, this is really something to be concerned with...thinking, thinking...;)

Karen said...

Omar...ignore them, for they write their own epitaph and know not what they do.

Karen said...

Anon @946, yes indeed, they did pull that card. Sick...really sick when you consider their record.

Anonymous said...

This government has no regards of looking after Canadians when they leave the country. The Foreign Affairs department is a complete failure in this case. With this case a lower level staffer in the High Commission in Kenya may have made a mistake and the higher ups, rather then doing what is right, has chosen to rally around the individual who screwed up the case instead.
Maybe it is time for a full and complete Judicial Inquiry into the actions of Foreign Affairs Canada and all the Embassies worldwide and have any recommendations from that inquiry be made public and fully implemented. Furthermore, an Inquiry should name any and all individuals who were complicent in this case and other cases and that those individuals be held accountable and lose their jobs.

Karen said...

Anon...yea, that is where I'm going.

I'm loathe to call for yet another enquiry, but in this case, me thinks it's long over due.

RuralSandi said...

Anonymous said...
Keep drinking the Kool Aid you Libtards......

8:10 PM

this person sounds about 12 years old - playing on mummy's computer. Pathetic.


About Canadians working abroad - I watch Catherine Clark (Joe's daughter) on CPAC sometimes - she interviews MP's. She had Rona Ambrose on - and Rona (who's seems to have had a very cushy life) spent most of her childhood outside of Canada (Brazil) because of daddy's job. During the interview she said she always tries to encourage people (women especially) to work overseas, get experience abroad and learn about the world. Hmm.....I guess Harper didn't see her interview. Ambrose from an obviously well off family and loves the idea of Canadians working abroad.....doesn't quited fit the Cons criteria does it?

Anonymous said...

Obviously Cannon is an idiot. I've called his office many times but for some reason, his secretary does not return calls.
All Canadians who hold passports generally have a picture that is identical in their passport to what they claim to be.
What a load of bullshit of the first degree.
I'd love to see Cannon's driver's licence and/or his passport.
His claims are easy to spout and can sound "plausible" but, like most Conservative talking points, don't hold up to scrutiny.

What is disturbing is the Connie trend to dismiss anyone who is not a white-bread-god-fearing-christian...

RuralSandi said...

Well- I find myself agreeing with CWTF. There's one exception - the pandering to our Jewish community as well.

Anonymous said...

>> the pandering to our Jewish community as well.<<
I could of added that but then I would have been accused of being an anti-Semite, and to be quite direct, find that the Liberal party has been doing that also.

flipper said...

Funny ,I think it is good for the government to pratice due dilligence in a case like this...Let's not forget MOTHER KHADR who managed to lose THREE passports when she traveled abroad..(Who's kidding who...)The government should investigate her case and come to the conclusion that she is not a threat ,just another idiot who is taking up space and wasting our foreign affairs valuable time!

Anonymous said...

No, flipper, she's a CANADIAN trying to get home.

Of course you can't see that. Pathetic.

Karen said...

Flipper - just another idiot who is taking up space

Anonymous said...

Liberal bleeding hearts, now that is pathetic.