Call me a crusty old senior but I can still recognize right from wrong and have the presence to speak out when I smell something foul in the air.
Over the last several weeks, the media and the House of Commons opposition have been dealing with our prime minister’s response to criticisms stemming from the Liberal Party’s current political fundraising practice of inviting Canadian businessmen, special interest representatives and even foreign parties to an ongoing series of high-priced, private dinner gatherings in return for private audiences with Liberal cabinet ministers, and yes, even the prime minister himself.
It has been recorded that these events have resulted in a flow of large donations to the Liberal Party. Our prime minister has defended this particular practice by saying, “We have lived up to the very strict parliamentary guidelines for political party fundraising."
As such, it would seem that the Liberal Party does not owe anyone any apologies any more than the previous Conservative government, which did this same thing.
However, to follow the rules is one thing but to recognize and then follow an obvious bad set of rules is avoiding the correct path simply for political expediency
The prime minister’s response does not negate the fact that the Liberal Party criticized the Conservatives for this very type of political fundraising when they were in the opposition. Nor does it recognize the unequal playing field for Liberal Party fundraising now that it's in power over that of opposition parties.
For a prime minister who came to the voters declaring “Change, transparency and integrity,” as the basic foundation of his new regime, the Liberals clearly deserve the strong criticism now prevalent. Shame on you.
In closing, and in defense of our young leader, he is a politician and regretfully not much different than many of the other modern spin-around politicians we see today.
If he is still looking for our support, he has to realize that grassroot voters, the silent majority, cannot be bought off with pretty rhetoric even if others are.
C. Clark
Vernon