Can I have some of what they’re smoking?
The Daily Herald Tribune is calling Ann Cools’ disagreement on the Tory position in the Middle East “dissension in the ranks”. I would hardly call an ex-Liberal, red Tory disagreeing with the PM “dissent”.
From her own website:
Anne Clare Cools is a Senator from Ontario. In 1984 His Excellency Governor-General Edward Schreyer summoned her to the Senate on the advice of Rt. Hon. Pierre E. Trudeau. Her appointment to the Senate continued a long career of community organization and social services in the field of family violence and family conflict. As of June 8th 2004, Senator Cools is a Conservative Senator from Ontario.
So
a) she was summoned to the senate on the advice of Pierre “La Communiste” Trudeau.
b) she has a long career of community organization and social service, things that are usually championed by the left.
Let’s look closer at her profile:
Senator Cools’ representation in the community and her involvement with the Liberal Party of Canada is long standing. She was the federal Liberal candidate in the Federal General Elections of 1979 and 1980 in Toronto’s Rosedale Riding. She was also Vice-Chair of the Greater Toronto Liberal Caucus in 1993, 1994 and 1995.
So how did Ann Cools become a Conservative? She did not want to be tied to the Adscam Liberals and the Gun Registry boondoggle. She was fed up with the graft, etc. It had absolutely nothing to do with her political views on foreign policy. Make no mistake about Ann Cools. She is as red a Tory as you can find in Canada.
Senator Anne Cools announced today that she will no longer be sitting as a Liberal senator and will be joining the Conservative caucus in the Senate. Senator Cools described her decision as being driven by her inability to defend repeated Liberal spending scandals, particularly the billions wasted on the sponsorship scandal and the billions on the gun registry.”I can no longer defend the Liberal record. Like so many Canadians, I had been hopeful that Mr. Martin would initiate a new era, a genesis and renewal in the Liberal government. I had hoped for an affirmation of responsible government, diligent stewardship of public moneys and renewed leadership, accountable to elected members and the public, not its paid advisors,” said Senator Cools. “But we have seen the opposite. We now know that Mr. Martin’s promised review of the gun registry was posturing and optics.”
Senator Cools came to her decision after months of contemplation and introspection. Her decision to become a Conservative Senator, rather than an independent, was prompted by her personal respect for Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper. She described Harper as “Canada’s hope for change. He understands that elected members are Parliament’s eyes and ears in our communities. He welcomes Members from all cultures and backgrounds, and has a keen intellect and respects debate.”
(emphasis mine)
So when you see the MSM title an article “Dissension in the ranks Tory senator unhappy with Harper’s Mideast stance” you should really verify which senator they are talking about. I bet Marjorie LeBreton is behind our PM all the way.
Shame on you Daily Herald Tribune.
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A little dissension is good for the CPC whatever the source and is nothing to be afraid of. In my view, the party’s ability to withstand such “dissent” and undertake honest discussion about such a divisive issue within the party is actually a credit to the openness of the party.
Cools did a lot of fine work on family/custody issues and is a welcome addition to the CPC. The fact that she is a senator also gives her considerable latitude to hold a different position.
I certainly support Harper’s stance on Israel, even if it sometimes comes across as stubborn rather than principled. Nonetheless, it is right and just to support Israel against terrorist attacks. Still, there may be other more appropriate and effective approaches to be found. That is why honest debate (or dissent as some might call it) is good for the party and the country.
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Steve, I agree 100% that different views on specific issues are fine. I even agree that as a Senator she has more leeway than an MP. But I disagree that this is dissent. The title of the news article was quite misleading. It states she is not happy when in her own words “I am not that happy”. The inclusion of the word “that” may just be nitpicking, but it does not imply she is not happy.
Her work with family/custody/wife battering etc is VERY commendable. If she came out and was “not that happy” about the universal child care benefit, I might have given them a bit of leeway with the word “dissent”.
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Are you suggesting the media might be deliberately undermining confidence in the Prime Minister? Say it isn’t so!!
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Wasn’t Anne Cools the female counterpart to Rosie Douglas, during the Sir George Williams University Race Riots of 1969?
As I recall, Rosie was eventually deported from Canada in shackles and chains, back to his native little Carribean Island, where he eventually became Prime Minister. Rosie was found mysteriously dead in his bed at the PM’s Palace, the very day P.E.T. died. Coincidence or Conspiracy? You tell me.
Anne just did her thing, and within fifteen years was a Liberal Senator.
Now, if Sen. Cools is NOT the female leader of the thwarted riots at S.G.W.U, circa 1969, I profusely appologize, for the memory synapses are missfiring quite a bit more of late, as I forge on ahead into my dottage.
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Tango Juliette, you are correct. Ann was sentenced to six months back then and Rosie had two years to cool (no pun intended) his heals.
I found quite a few websites but there is a half decent report/interview here
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It constantly amazes me how conservative types can ‘dish it out’ but just ‘can’t take it’. Politics is a tough business so …. maybe get a thicker skin. Harper has already lost the next election over all of this. Period. Canadians, especially Quebecers have had their eyes opened and it is becoming more and more evident. Bravo Sen. Cools. ‘You Go Girl’.
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P.S. Maybe read the new book, “Conservatives Without Conscience” by John Dean, (a long time Republican who served as White House Counsel). He has this to say about the current version of righwingers we see in Bush and Harper.
“Authoritarian followers submit quickly, and once they do, they become very aggressive in pushing the worldview of that authority.
John Dean
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Don’t you get sick and tired of singing the same song over and over, leftdog?
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It must suck to be a Liberal now leftdog! Well get used to being in the wilderness for awhile, you had your chance, your party screwed up big time. Keep dreaming.
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Hunter:
I imagine it’s ALWAYS sucked to be a Liberal.
But when they’re in power the pleasing ‘graft, thievery and skim’ all combine to soothingly assuage the itch of guilt.
I imagine it’s kinda of like living with poison ivy on your hide, with the thievery acting like “…an ocean of calmine lotion…” except when they’re out of power it’s still the ithiness of all of the above, without the aforementioned soothing, creamy balm of corruption, and with an added dimension of never-ending chorusses of “. . . Bush-lite, Republican lap-dog, Shrub, American-style anything. etc. etc.. . . ”
Deposed Graberals tend to prove themselves to be ‘extremely creative’ and ‘highly focused,’ kinda like a tap-dancing shit-tzoos and kamikaze pilots. As well, dethroned Gliberas become dogmatic, rudely stupid, stupidly rude, very offensively pushy, 100% wrong and totally whack-oid like, out to lunch loons.
To Tust O Mulder:
Thanks. Memory is not as bad as I feared. I was into Fine Arts on Campus at the time of the uphealvals. Knew many of the dissenting students, and their off-campus supporters.