Let’s start with Rona Ambrose, the new interim party leader. Without a hint of insincerity, Ambrose insists her caucus will no longer engage in the “nastiness” of the old Harper government and will be more “constructive, effective” in working as the Official Opposition.
Also, Ambrose has completely reversed herself on the need for a public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women. For years, the Tories refused to hold an inquiry into what the RCMP says are more than 1,200 cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
Now she is all in favour of an inquiry, saying it “is an absolutely non-partisan issue, it should never be political.”
This is the same woman who, back in 2010 when she was minister for the status of women, defended a decision by the Harper government to cut off funding for a database operated by Sisters in Spirit, a group that had been tracking 582 cases of murdered or missing aboriginal women in Canada.
Next is Tony Clement, the former industry minister who cancelled the long-form census of 2011, a move widely denounced inside and outside of government. Clement was relentless in implementing the change, insisting it was needed to protect citizen privacy.
Now Clement is expressing regrets, saying in hindsight that “I would have done it differently.”
No kidding, Tony!
Then there’s Kellie Leitch, the former labour minister at the centre of one of the lowest points in the Tory campaign. She hit that point when she joined cabinet colleague Chris Alexander in announcing “a snitch hotline” to report “barbaric cultural practices.” In reality, Leitch was urging Canadians to target Muslims in their neighbourhoods.
Now Leitch, who apparently dreams of succeeding Harper, says the plan was misunderstood and not communicated very well.
In addition, there’s Harper himself, now just a backbench MP.
As an opposition MP before he became prime minister, Harper often criticized the use of government-owned VIP Challenger jets by Liberal cabinet ministers.
But last week, ordinary MP Harper eagerly accepted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s generous offer to fly Harper back to Calgary on a Challenger jet. No word on whether Harper gave a second’s thought to the estimated $12,000-$15,000 cost to taxpayers for use of the plane.
Do these Conservatives take voters to be fools?
