Chretien rips into Harper ***********
Posted on 19 August 2008 by Jack
QUEBEC — Prime Minister Stephen Harper was wrong when he decided not to attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics and Canada could pay a heavy price for his absence, Jean Chretien said Monday.Chretien said he wouldn’t have “hesitated a second” in going to China if he had still been prime minister.
The former prime minister says Harper should have been at the celebration given China’s economic and demographic clout and the mentality of its leaders.
“It is the second biggest economy in the world, and in 50 years it will be the biggest,” Chretien said after a speech to the annual meeting of the Canadian Bar Association.
“Starting with Diefenbaker, Trudeau and all of us, we established very good relations, relatively speaking, with China.
“And suddenly, you break the bridge. It would have been easy just to be there.”
Harper has insisted his decision to stay away from the Games had nothing to do with politics, but rather with a scheduling conflict.
The prime minister, who hasn’t visited the country since 2006, said earlier this month he hopes the Games will prompt greater change in the country
Update: Clancy: Harper right about OIympics
Update: Chretien Wouldn’t Know Principle If He Fell Over One
Update: Radwanski: Jimmy Carter, he’s not
Update: Sidewinder
Update: Jean Chretien and the Sidewinder Report
Update: Lot’s more here…
Update: The price of fighting for what you think is right
Update: Worthington: Old China file finds new value
Note: Thanks to Kate and my readers for a lot of the preceeding links.
Update: PM fires back at Chretien over Beijing comment
Note: 8:00 pm and I’m gone. Chretien makes me ill.
Goodnight.
Popularity: 28% [?]
August 19th, 2008 at 6:53 am
My memory does not allow me to remember the specific incident but didn’t Mr.High & Mighty decide to forget his responsibilities,miss a state funeral, and continue his skiing holiday a few years back???was it not more important to attend the event that to give the lame excuse that “transportation was not available”because Ti-Jean was, I believe ,in Whistler practicing his downhill skills……People say the Olympics should be all about the athletes and not have political implications…If that is the case,I submit that no politicians should attend…..and Ti-Jean should continue concentrating on his retirement…and skiing to his heart’s content
August 19th, 2008 at 7:22 am
If memory serves it was the funeral of King Hussein of Jordan. I could be wrong on that.
August 19th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Jean who? Where is our money, Jean?
August 19th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Further to my last comment:
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/1999/02/09/hussein990209.html
August 19th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Mr $40 Million Missing did not go to Athens for the Olympics, yet he thinks that China must be cowtowed to.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:21 am
ah yes, when you’re out of the limelight for a few years you’ll say anything to keep your name in the papers.
..and if Harper DID go to the Olympics guaranteed the same liberal weenies would have criticized him for not respecting human rights and not sending a strong message by not showing up,
OR,
they’d for sure suggest that he was tag-teaming with George W.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Yes,We certainly should listen to this fool of a man.How the people of Canada ever got fooled into electing this guy is beyond me.The majority i think felt sorry for him and wanted to do the right thing by electing a little guy from Shawinigate.Or was it little guy from Adscam.Or was it little guy from HRDC boondoggle.Or was it little guy from Missing Millions.Anyway we look at it he is still not relevent to Canadians,so why does the MSM even bother to cover his insane speaches.Did someone call him from the Liberal Hq and ask him to make a fool out of himself.In my years, 67 to date i have never,ever heard of a past PM negatively comment on a sitting prime minister.They just write their memoires and enjoy life and stay out of politics.The Libs must be really,really desperate to bring this guy back from his golf course to spew this type of venom.And god bless the MSM they are still stooping as low as you can ,by front paging this kind of crap.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:30 am
It says near the bottom of the article that Chretien still goes to China for lobbying reasons so I think he’s whinging because he gets asked uncomfortable questions while attending ChiCom cocktail parties. Harper is making Chretien’s lobbying on behalf of Power Corp more difficult, poor dear.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:08 am
To my knowledge, only on two other occasions have Canadian PMs attended the Olympics: Trudeau in 1976 in Montreal and Chretien in 1996 in Atlanta.
I don’t know if Mulroney attended the Calgary Olytmpics.
Does that mean that Canadian PMs have therefore snubbed all other host nations by not attending?
Of course, as has been pointed out time and again in conservative blogs, Chretien’s ties to China are Powerfully Strong (references intended):
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040206.wuchretien06/BNStory/Front/
h/t ChuckerCanuck
Also, if it is true, as Harper’s critics said at the time, that the Chinese President intended to snub PM Harper by granting him only a brief 15-minute meeting at the APEC meeting in 2006, http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Stephen_Harper_meets_with_Chinese_President_Hu_Jintao_during_APEC_summit,
why should the PM now kowtow to the Chinese?
August 19th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Just a typical out of power cranky old Liberal hypocrit. Both the natural governing party Liberals and their MSM accomplices are indeed desperate. Game on.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:12 am
If anyone has lost face re China it is the liberals. They are the ones who promised to send billions to Uncle Mo for Kyoto credits. How many openings did Chretain or Martin miss.
Liberals do/don’t do something, that’s ok, forget it. Conservatives do/don’t do something, front page news for years.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Another ghost of the past has resurfaced to haunt the liberals.
SDA has a link to the Sidewinder report. Remember, that is the report that Chretain ordered destroyed.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:15 am
The Little Shyster from Shawinigan says that we should be careful not to offend the second largest economy of the world. Didn’t the shyster offend the largest economy and our largest trading partner on a daily basis while he was destroying our country?
He should stick to making money for China and please fade away into obscurity.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:31 am
I did not notice it till now, thanks MaryT, but there was a 3-page article in Ottawa Citizen yesterday outlining how a courageous bureaucrat tried to stop the corruption at Chinese consulate and Chretien regime turned on him.
I think Chretien spoke out yesterday because he knew the story was coming and also knows the msm are sheep and would cover whatever he says, instead of focusing on corruption.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Just sent the following to the Star, any bets on it seeing daylight in their letterstoeditor column.
Mr. Chretian continues to display the arrogance and yes ignorance that typified his years as PM of this country.
How and why he gets away with this latest sad outburst is evident in the one sided slant given to this story.
No where did I read of the number of Olympics that he did not attend while he was PM; his visit to Beijing shortly after leaving office with a team of Power Corp executives, which has extensive business interests in China; and this very salient fact, Mr. Chretian is an advisor to Petrokazakhstan, a Calgary based oil company that is trying to expand it’s business with China.
Your reporter obviously did not deem it necessary to point out any of these facts, I wonder why?
Is this really news or just further evidence that your newspaper never saw a Liberal they would not quote, if by doing so they could somehow malign our present PM.
.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Old Cretch & Liberals should settle debts with
Canadian tax payers before they shoot their big yaps off !
80 million plus was stolen from
Hard working Canadian tax payers,
This money (ADSCAM) was used
To fund a least 3 elections, so
When the 80 million plus is paid
Back, then Libs can talk about
Forming Gov’t. and Old Cretch can speak freely.
When will elections Canada look into 3 fraud election’s that were paid for in part by ADSCAM $$$$
August 19th, 2008 at 11:06 am
For the life of me I don’t see why any Prime Minister should be obliged to attend the Olympic Games. It is not a diplomatic affair……….. or is it?
August 19th, 2008 at 11:45 am
It’s a shame Canada does not have impeachment laws to keep in check the likes of Chretien and Martin for governance malfeasance.
Handcuffs would be more than appropriate for those involved in the corruption that flourished during their watch with the enabling of our MSM.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Now ADSAM is $80 million plus. Do we hear $100 million?
Not sure what that has to do with our PM not going to the Olympics.
He probably should have gone to support our athletes but I’m not convinced it will be the end of the world that he didn’t.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
This story is another example of the MSM creating the news rather than being content simply report it. Find out where Mr. Hypocrit is golfing, seek him out for a comment slamming PMSH and bam, front page news. I don’t think the average Canadian wants to hear Chretien’s opinion on anything to be quite frank. PMSH had better things to do than attend the opening opening of the games but did send a capable respresentative of the government and Canadian citizens. China is just going to have to learn to suck it up for a change instead of enjoying hypocritical Canadian Liberal Prime Ministers sucking up to China.
Chretien is bemoaning the issue that PMSH is going to alienate the 2nd largest economy in the world, yet for all of his years in office he felt quite comfortable alienating our largest trading partner, stauchest ally and true friend the USA. Many Canadians and Americans will never forget after blaming both Americian foreign policy and proverty for the 9/11 attack it took Chretien three weeks to visit Ground Zero, choosing instead to attend a Liberal fund raiser rather than a memorial service attened by international dignitaries for the victims. A total of 24 Canadians lost their lives to radical Islam on 9/11. Many average Canadians were angry that Prime Minister Jean Chretien flatly refused building a memorial for 24 Canadian victims of Sept. 11. What a truly hypocritical disgusting old fool.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
This is the creep that held his nose at ground zero. HELD HIS NOSE! Jean, just shut up and go away. Way far awayyyyy. You have embarrassed Canadians enough.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Larry Says:
August 19th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Now ADSAM is $80 million plus. Do we hear $100 million?
Not sure what that has to do with our PM not going to the Olympics.
—————————————————————
Larry………. very simple, Old Cretch should shut his pie hole
until he and his LIEberal party pay back Canadian tax payers.
When Old Crecth was head honcho over the biggest scam on Canadian wallets and ADSCAM help fund at least 3 elections.
Until old Cretch settles up with what he and his party did to
Canadians he has ZERO say !
August 19th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I put this idea up once before. I think it was Declan who employed helicopters with messaging prior to the Irish EU referendum vote. Apparently the messaging worked. A no vote was returned indicating overwhelming rejection of faux higher taxation.
The same messaging can be employed over major Canadian cities like the GTA et al in order for the Conservative gov’t to let the people know what throwing their vote to the standing gov’t would mean for citizens in this country. Major tax relief has been afforded over two consequtive budgets. However, that tax relief is now being consumed by higher energy and gas prices, rising rents and mortgages possibly, rising food costs, etc.
The messaging might include a promisory document that affords more tax relief as opposed to reported Liberal plans to raise GST to 10 percent, carbon tax hikes at the pump meaning tax and shift. The “shift” is the problematic part.
This time an affidavit, signed, sealed by the Conservative gov’t recognizing tax relief is the most important item on the agenda. Messaged out in the skies where the skeptical regarding any admin can get it. Then the follow-up. The accomplishments continue in the citizens’ interests.
Gov’t has the single task of proving to the motoring public they are not anything near former administrations such as Chretien’s/Martin’s where it was only and all about hanging onto power for the interested parties.
Chretien’s new book says it all. He could have entitled it, “ME” for that was all the entire text was about, not anything about the citizens’ agenda. In fact, it could have been titled like Miss Piggy en Francais, “MOI.” How interesting is “MOI” when all is said and done. Answer: Not very.
His criticism of Prime Minister Harper and colleagues is unfounded and even petty. C’est tout.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Good idea Anna. Also, how about pulling a hugh banner behind a light aircraft over the cities advertising the Conservatives accomplishments website?
August 19th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
BTDT — Now, that is an idea I really like.
By the way, I have set things up as a website rather than a blog using the Word Press platform. It seems to be working veyr well.
The main column is for the long list which I will update regularly.
But, now I have “Commentary & News” on the sidebar and “Did You Know” items.
Regular visitors can let me know here what you think?
I did it that way because it puts an end to the endless complaining from opposition bloggers.
http://www.harpergovernmentaccomplishments.com
August 19th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
I just had a quick look, Sandy. That is a really impressive effort.
August 19th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Great posts everyone - I especially like yours Bert. There are excellent links over at sda. re sidewinder. The old Cretian has his shorts in a knot and he is foaming at the mouth again. When he opens his yap again we should order him to either pay up or have all his property confiscated to pay us back for all the money he and his gang (so well named the Liberanos by Western Standard) stole from all of us taxpayers.
I think he is in too deep with some crooks in China, to whom he promised things he is not able to deliver (like Canadian sovereignty on a gold platter with the traditional cowtow to a ’superior’ mentality and a ’superior, more sophisticated’ civilization). Makes my blood boil.
There are no words civil enough for me to use to describe my revulsion for this old, evil crackpot. He was selling us out while he was pretending to be a mental midget. Evil has many clever guises, the Liberanos/Dippers use them all the time.
August 19th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
‘I think he is in too deep with some crooks in China, to whom he promised things he is not able to deliver ‘
Could it be the billions in Kyoto dollars that would have gone to China if the Liberals had won the last election?
Those that were to receive must be some p*ssed by now.
August 19th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
I’ve been looking at the comments on a CBC article as well as a few others. My impression is that Chretien opened a can of worms which he would rather people forgot.
Good luck with that one.
With an election pending his party is really under the gun and I’ll be following this as bloggers and columnists pile on because they surely will.
Welcome to the Canadian version of “swift boating”.
“If it bleeds it leads.”
August 19th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
“I have set things up as a website …”
Once again, Sandy, you’ve outdone yourself. Congratulations. I hope some communications experts from the PMO stop by to see how it should be done.
The “Commentary & News” on the sidebar and “Did You Know” items are also an excellent addition.
August 19th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I hope that the MSM gives us lots more of this because nothing could ensure a Conservative majority better than keeping Chretien’s opinions in the news. My guess is that Chretien himself isn’t worried about the negative effects that showing his mug could have on the Liberal’s election chances because even he expects them to lose, otherwise he would be ripping into Dion for promising to place a carbon tariff on goods produced by his smog choked Chinese friends.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Sandy, imagine flying over a Toronto Argunauts home game pulling this banner and the pilot looking down and seeing all 2300 home team fans gazing skyward with puzzled looks on their faces wondering “what’s up with that”?
August 19th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Jack, good on you for highlighting the Sidewinder file. I’ve known about Sidewinder for a good long time, and it fairly stinks. Also remember the missing passport and visa blanks from the Hong Kong consulate. And also the ChiComs floating around Ontario Hydro at the time of Uncle Mo at the helm, while he was buying Costa Rican rainforests with our money. How much of our money was sunk into the University of Peace? Or other Uncle Mo boondoogles?
I equate the Liberals with ChiCom wannabe’s, and Cretin’s scolds act to reinforce the notion.
Larry, they ripped us off. Period. Are you excusing that?
August 19th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Why hasn’t that thug been charged for the money he and his party stole from Canadians?
August 19th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
It’s just small town cheep !!! Who cares ! It only gets front page coverage in the Pravda of the Liberal Party, the daily Socialist, The Toronto Star.
August 20th, 2008 at 8:18 am
I thought the story was about Chretien shooting his mouth off about Harper not going to the Olympic opening!
I still don’t see what that has to do with Adscam!
August 20th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Then in so stating you demonstrate possession of the correct level of intelligence required to vote Liberal.