Monday, June 21, 2010

Jack Layton: whining because his party is irrelevant

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is snubbing opposition parties by ending a long establish practiced of inviting foreign heads of state to meet with them, NDP Leader Jack Layton told QMI Agency Sunday.

Poor Jack. He is in a snit because he and his party are irrelevant and PM Harper doesn't want to bore the other world leaders by forcing scheduling time for them to talk to people that they could care less about. Seriously, does anyone think that the PM of Japan or Italy want to waste their valuable time chatting to the leader of the 4th largest party in Parliament? PM Harper might just as well show them his 2004 vacation pictures if his goal is to waste their time and bore them.

Sorry Jack but you just don't make the cut it and even the Liberals agree:“It seems totally normal to me that the leader of the official opposition would have meetings, and the leaders of the third and fourth parties would not,” Ignatieff spokesman Michel Liboiron said.

While I am sure that Jack Layton and the NDP spin crew can verbalize all sorts of reasons why he should be entitled to meet the foreign leaders, but this begs the question, where do we draw the line?

The BQ's Gilles Duceppe has more seats so he has to be included, but what about the leaders of all the other registered parties in this country, and in particular, what about Elizabeth May? If Lizzy was good enough to be in the debates, as argued by Layton and the NDP previously, she has to be good enough to meet and speak with the many foreign leaders who visit Canada. Doesn't she and the rest of the party leaders deserve the same opportunity as Layton believes that he deserves?

Come on MSM, make the most of this slow news period and ask Jack where that line should be drawn and why. I know that I would be very interested in watching Jack Layton try to answer that question, and I bet your customers would as well.

7 comments:

Alberta Girl said...

" a long standing tradition???" - since when?

Jack and Iggy are just upset that they won't have the opportunity to hobnob with dignitaries, take photos with Obama for display in times square and attempt to discredit the good reputation that the PM has built with the rest of the world.

Too bad, so sad.

Bec said...

I lived in Halifax during the 95 Summit and Calgary during 02 and I don't recall anything like this ever being discussed or hitting the news. Why is that?

Slap me silly, it's a Conservative PM and despite his remarkable reputation and success internationally, the losers think they are better, brighter and more important than the G8/20 host and sitting PM.

What silly, petty egomaniac's these guys are. Anything to embarrass Canada and sabotage these talks is all I can see would be their agenda.

Oh and of course a photo-op too except for Jack, I don't think Castro, Ahmadinejad or Chavez are coming so who else would he want to talk too?

Jen said...

Surely, you don't celebrate a 'third string' quaterback, Layton is the third string, the liberals are second and the PM is the main quarterback. leaders don't send nor invite opposition member that can upset the apple cart on issues which neither the ndp nor the bloc gave rats ass to helping but went on vacation during the recession and it is world issues we put on their hands- no thanks.

The opposition parties will probably come together as one in support of their union brotherhood friends by issuing a huge tax.

Anonymous said...

Jack Layton, "visions of sugar plums dancing in his head", and the world ends in 2012. Since when do the NDP control the agenda of a G8 or G20 Summit - I recommend he march and riot with the anarchists in the streets of Toronto, then he'll get a little respect. CBC and CTV will do the "man on the street interview" featuring Jack as the outsider looking in. Cheers. FernStAlbert

Ardvark said...

There was a rumour the PM Harper was going to let the foreign leaders meet with Jack, Gilles and Elizabeth by putting them all into the same room at the same time. The G8 program listed the room as "Meet the people with the same polices that messed up your country"; it was canceled for lack of interest.

maryT said...

Read Taber's latest rant re the Queen's Garden Party, hosted by the Queen.
She starts by saying opposition leaders have not been invited, goes on to slag, then ends by saying, no invitations have been issued yet.
The GG will be out of the country during the Queen's visit. She is not being snubbed, it is protocol.
Just because Clarkson broke the rules, our current "GG" has class.

CanadianSense said...

After a careful review of planned expenses.

Opposition MPs clued into free booze and food!

Catering, swag etc....

You would cry too, if it happened to you!