Part two of Stephen Harper’s interview with Peter Mansbridge aired last night, and wow, there were a few interesting things, like how he’s in favour of capital punishment. But hey, he’s not going to push abortion if he gets a majority government. He may not push it, but would he stand in the way of a private Member’s bill about it? Also, what about this sentence? “What I say to people, if you want to diminish the number of abortions, you’ve got to change hearts and not laws.” Um, that, or actually ensure that there is proper, frank sex education.
Aaron Wherry dissects the logic of Harper’s assertion made during part one of the interview, that the opposition “waited too long” to form a coalition, thereby making it illegitimate and finds that there really was no previous opportunity save the Throne Speech (which no one has brought a government down over). Scott Feschuk also tries to wrap his head around some of Harper’s other logic around the next election, to some amusing results.
A Liberal MP has lodged a complaint with the ethics commissioner regarding the use of images of Harper in his office for one of those Conservative attack ads. But I’m sure we all know by now that Mary Dawson will simply interpret the rules so narrowly that nothing will come of it. Also, the CBC wants their file footage yanked from the ads, but the Conservatives “disagree with their interpretation.”
Also on the issue of those attack ads, Susan Delacourt takes a look at them as compared to Advertising Standards of Canada guidelines, and what it would mean if Ignatieff were Starbucks and Stephen Harper were Tim Hortons making those ads. John Geddes meanwhile looks at the film noir construction of the long ad showing Harper hard at work in his office, late at night.
On his tour of unheld ridings, Michael Ignatieff reiterates the necessity of listening to the public.
The government of Saskatchewan will not appeal the court ruling on same-sex marriage and marriage commissioners.
It looks like Quebec City is writing off the possibility of federal money for their new arena.
And six months after the census furore, a new Chief Statistician is appointed who we’re quite sure that Harper will expect to be a yes-man.
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