Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Harper Liberals go wild against Morgentaler appointment

No surprise that a few flat-earthers on the extreme right are upset over the announcement that pro-choice pioneer Henry Morgentaler has been named to the Order of Canada.

But has anyone else noticed just how many of them are so called “Harper Liberals” – Liberal MPs who share the same social conservative values as Harper’s backbench?

Hey, look, there’s Dan McTeague:

“Liberal MP Dan McTeague said Dr. Morgentaler is a very controversial person and if he is admitted to the order, it will polarize Canadians.” The Governor-General and the committee advising on appointments to the Order of Canada have always been careful in the past not to choose people who were controversial or who would not be unanimously celebrated by all Canadians, Mr. McTeague said. "It's more of a social statement rather than the usual apolitical decisions," he said. "There will be people who cheer what he has done. There will be others who fundamentally disagree with what he represents."

And there’s Paul Steckle (in a quote that appeared in the print edition, yet oddly missing from globeandmail.com):

“Liberal MP Paul Steckle said, “It diminished in my mind what we think the Order of Canada stood for.”

Now not all Liberals are "Harper Liberals" of course, but when you hear Liberals rail violently against Harper’s so-con agenda, is it wrong to expect all of them to sound like NDP MP Olvia Chow who said: “It's a great celebration,” she said. “We can be very proud that Henry Morgentaler after all these years of struggle for a woman's right to choose finally being recognized”?

Just like it was on gay marriage, when it comes to a womans right to choose, Liberal branding and Liberal reality can't exist in the same room.

Regrettably, the braying at the moon is destined only to get louder once reporters remember the fundamentalist and "I don't think a woman has a frivolous right to choose" agenda of Stephane Dion’s candidate in Central Nova.

Stay tuned.

5 comments:

Jeff said...

And then there's NDP Premier Gary Doer.

Blogging Horse said...

Oh come on, BCer. You can do better than that.

Doer's quote: "We've always supported a woman's right to choose, but we've disagreed with Dr Morgentaler over [health care] for profit."

Neither McTeague or Steckle (nor May for that matter) can or would say "We've always supported a woman's right to choose". Cause just like so many on the Harper backbench they don't.

Oxford County Liberals said...

It amazes me how you can turn every story you see into an attack on the Liberals, Horse.

Steckle and Mcteague do not represent the views of the majority of the Liberal caucus, as you well know. A centriast party will get views in their party from both left and right, so the fact we have some socially conservative members in the Liberal caucus us hardly jaw-dropping.

Blogging Horse said...

Scott, some day you will have to explain what "the views of the majority of the Liberal caucus" are and how it is that Chretien, Martin and now Dion have not similarly explained them to people like Steckle and McTeague.

No where is it written that Liberals are allowed to campaign saying they "share NDP values" and then have guys like this spout pro-Harper garbage without being called on it.

Glad you are enjoying the blog Scott.

Bill said...

It never ceases to amaze me that people like bcer can somehow make defending the rights of an unborn child look bad. Shame on you and anyone who agrees with you...Shame, shame, shame!