Saturday, October 21, 2006

He used WHAT word?

Today in the House, Belinda asked for an apology from Peter MacKay:

“Mr. Speaker yesterday during question period the minister of foreign affairs used a very inappropriate word to describe me.”
Anyone hearing this would assume that MacKay had stood in the House of Commons and called her a bitch. He wouldn't have been far off the mark, but the accusation against MacKay is that he said -- 'You've already got her.' There's a distict difference between implying she's a bitch and actually calling her one.

Belinda says that this kind of thing will have a 'chilling' effect on women who think about entering politics:

“It goes beyond this. It is really, I think, a reflection of the character and of the attitude of this government towards women. The fact that no one would take responsibility for this kind of a comment today, I think shows that,” she told reporters.
When a woman is a fully grown up person, capable of holding her own in the public eye, speaking up for herself, handling pressure and standing up to criticism -- then this sort of incident won't have a 'chilling effect' on her desire to enter into politics. The huffy response of Belinda & her shrill, patronizing chorus demonstrate that Liberals think that women need coddling. Hardly a progressive attitude.

The Liberal leadership debate actually opened with the 'great-eight' warbling about the need for more women in politics. There was even the suggestion of targets -- a certain number of women fielded as candidates in the next election. Seems they have little faith in women to take charge of their own destinies -- so like everything else, they want to engineer it.

They just don't get it -- whenever they take offense at a verbal slam directed at a woman, they demean women. By huffing and puffing they're making out that our frail souls and tender confidence can't handle pressure.

We are not so weak that we can't defend ourselves, and most of us don't identify with the Stronachs of this world, so there's little worry we'd think MacKay was taking a jab at all women in the person of Belinda. This was not about what Peter or conservatives think of women, it's about what one guy thinks of his ex -- and it's not even that -- it's about rude comments in the House of Commons which are given and gotten by everyone. Making it about gender might make a more interesting news story, but if they are really concerned about 'civility' in the House, they'll decry all incidents of rudeness -- not just the ones by men toward women.

Why did no one rush to Ken Dryden's rescue last year, when Rona Ambrose called him an 'old, white man'? Could it be because the Liberals believe men are capable of defending themselves? What does that say about their opinion of women?

canadianna

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keep defending the lousy attitude of the Tory MPs.

You and the other moron bloogers will help guarantee Harper and the Hicks' time in power will be mercifully short.

Canadianna said...

Owwww! That hurt!
Are you a Liberal? I'm a woman. You just called me a moron -- on my very own blog!!! I demand an apology!!!

Or, you can just move along and display your ignorance in other comment sections around the blogosphere. Your choice.

Suzanne said...

Yeah, that attitude keeps women out of politics! How dare YOU!

Canadi-anna, you made your point very nicely.

If you give your power away, you will be a victim. If insults bother you, you are giving your power to someone else.

Anonymous said...

One has to wonder what exactly it was that Belinda was referring to when she called the behaviour "shameful, very disrespectful, hurtful and insulting to women." Did she mean Peter McKay's alleged remarks in the House of Commons yesterday, or her screwing around with Leanne Domi's husband?

Carolyn Gardner said...

Interesting little comment from ronin... lousy attitude of Tory MP's versus calling us moron's. Guess it really does take one to know one. Thanks for illustrating that point for all of us.

Great post by the way Canadianna. I can't help but be reminded of the saying "if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen." I have to agree. I am very much against the whoa is me, I am a helpless woman who is the victim of mean men in government.
If you want to play with the big boys, then toughen up and get your game on.
The fact that Belinda cried victim is proof that she is using this to what she believes is her advantage. It's all in the spin. Playing victim instead of opening her mouth and standing her ground is how she has chosen to spin this... no doubt with the help of some Liberal "advisors".

Martin said...

CA,

Interesting to see the lady's initials are BS.

She should think of taking the niqab.

Anonymous said...

Of course the difference is that our comments are not taking place in Canadian citizens' parliamentary chambers, and I am not a cabinet member of a party desperately tryng to convince Canadians my party is fit enough to warrant a majority next election.


Canadi-anna wrote:
>Owwww! That hurt!
Are you a Liberal? I'm a woman. You just called me a moron -- on my very own blog!!! I demand an apology!!!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

You and the other moron bloogers

Wow! Moron blooger!! Is that a Blogging Tory with a runny nose? What an insult! We don't all have colds right now! That is a gross generalization!!! I demand an apology!

Canadianna said...

ronin -- no, you aren't a cabinet minister trying to impress Canadians, but you are a commenter, trying to impress conservatives with your smarts and wit. Different house, same idea.

The victim mentality begins on a personal level in every day situations. If MacKay implied she was a bitch, Belinda wasn't offended, she was playing the situation for the audience to score points. In doing so, she makes herself look thin-skinned and pouty.

When she implies that MacKay has actually called her a bitch, and then says the insult was an insult on all women, she is lying in order to drag all woman into her sordid life and displaying feigned indignance on our behalf.

She's implying that women are too weak to take the verbal sparring that goes on in the House of Commons or that we are too delicate to take part.
Manners in the House need to be improved, but Peter MacKay's alleged comment was hardly worse than anything Scott Brison ever dished out to Diane Albonzy. This is the way it is -- if they want to change it, change it for all -- not just for Liberal women.

BTW -- you did get that I was joking, right?

Anonymous said...

Garth asked in his Press Conference "why today?"

The answer is simple.

The PMO was desperate to deflect attention away from today's public opinion poll which shows no good news for Stephen Harper.

Today, under normal circumstances, would have been the day that grumblings began within the Tory caucus, probably leaking to the media about Stephen Harpers hamfisted leadership.

Do you think the 10 Tory MP's from Quebec are happy today with Poll numbers showing not a single one of them re-electable?

Stephen Harper needed a diversion today, unfortunately Iggy was not providing any new fodder,and Garth was it!

Anonymous said...

Garth Turner dumped to deflect attention from the most recent poll??? Well that's certainly a unique spin....although displaying the usual Liberal tunnel vision.

Let's take a look at the most recent poll numbers:
Environics
Conservatives - 37%
Liberals- 28%
NDP- 18%

no bad news for Harper there. How about approval ratings?

Harper 53%
Graham 38%

No problem here either!

Seems that the premise of your post is false. More and more Canadians are learning that just because a liberal makes a statement that doesnt make it so.

Anonymous said...

Ronin:

Clearly what you want is the Liberals back in power, or the anemic NDP...you couldn't care less about women in parliament, you just want a reason to voice your hatred of all things conservative.

You won't win--your ideas are stale, bankrupt, and impractical. Deal with it!

Canadianna said...

1st Anonymous -- If anyone was trying to create a diversion, it's the Liberals. They've taken the heat off Ignatieff for his 'war crimes' gaffe and they've taken the thunder out of the environmental announcement which they couldn't criticize because of their dismal record on same.

Neo Conservative said...

No wonder the Liberals are so desperate this week to make Belinda's "honour" front-page news. It sure beats having to explain stealing millions of dollars from the Canadian taxpayer.

Anonymous said...

Ronin, I am a woman and I think Belinda has a tiny, smaller than a pea, brain and she definitely DOES NOT represent women of substance. As for you, you are an idiot.
Martin you are right BS is right on.
So far we have martin labelled as a ditherer, Belinda as arf,arf - Peter I stand behind you!!!!
md

Tim said...

Well stated as usual Canadi-anna.

Robert W. said...

It has been a few days now but the Liberals are not letting the alleged "dog" comment controversy die.

There's a blatantly obvious "elephant in the room" comment that everyone has failed to make so far, which is:

How dare Peter MacKay slander the millions of dogs in Canada by comparing them to Belinda Stronach! After all, dogs are loyal, trustworthy, and honourable. Clearly none of these traits can be remotely applied to Ms. Stronach.

So I do think Peter MacKay should apologize, but to our canine friends.

Robert W.

BHCh said...

:-) I can't believe the saga is still going on. Just how screwed are they?

Apart from the fact that Belinda IS a bitch, I thought the joke wasn't a bad one at all.