What part of "February 2009" don't you understand?

"The combat mission must end in February 2009." Sounds pretty clear to me. And completely consistent with what Dion's been saying since February 2007. Here's today's scrum on the Afghanistan mission and the Dimitri Soudas/Rosdev affair as well as QP on Afghanistan:

The vast left wing conspiracy

Yay! I finally showed up on the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy! Well it might have happened a while ago but it was taking so long I finally gave up checking and then tonight, there I am, right at the top of the page, an official member of the vast left wing conspiracy and purveyor of leftist propaganda!

Oh - you don't care? Well sorry to bother you. I had to tell somebody and the cats just weren't very enthusiastic about it. (If it doesn't involve fancy feast, cheese, mice or birds it's hard to get their attention, although they think the Flying Spaghetti Monster has possibilities on two counts - the flying bit, like birds of course, and the meatballs look pretty tasty to my little Pastifarian carnivores. Yeah, gross I know, but I'm not a cat.)

"When will the prime minister realize that the buck stops with him?"

Dion - "Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister allowed his government to mislead Canadians on an issue as serious as torture. They even blamed the military for their own failure of leadership. This is completely unacceptable. Why won't the Prime Minister do what he should have done months ago - Stop blaming others and take responsibility for his own decisions?

Harper - "I'm not sure what the honourable member is even talking about."

He's been living in a bunker with no outside access for the last week?

Dion - "When will the prime minister realize that the buck stops with him on the leadership of this mission and that he cannot scapegoat the military - this is completely unacceptable."

Harper - "This government hasn't attempted to scapegoat the military for anything."

Oh well then, that's all right. All those annoyed military types can just get over it.

Really, don't you just cringe when you hear Milliken refer to Harper as the "Right Honourable Prime Minister?" I mean it's a bit of an oxymoron.

Today's QP and scrum -

Holy stromatolites in vegan "meat" sauce!

The Flying Spaghetti Monster (pasta be His name) has accomplished yet another miraculous . . . well . . . uh . . . miracle.

Scientists have "discovered" organic material in 2,724-million-year-old stromatolites. And not only were fossilized microbes present,

Our results support microbial mediation for the formation of the Tumbiana stromatolites, and extend the geologic record of primary aragonite by more than 2,300 Myr. (Source : Nature Geoscience, Published online: 27 January 2008)

Holy Rigatoni and Elbow Macaroni! But what's that got to do with His Noodliness, you ask? Just everything!

We have evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. . .
He built the world to make us think the earth is older than it really is. For example, a scientist may perform a carbon-dating process on an artifact. He finds that approximately 75% of the Carbon-14 has decayed by electron emission to Nitrogen-14, and infers that this artifact is approximately 10,000 years old, as the half-life of Carbon-14 appears to be 5,730 years. But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage. We have numerous texts that describe in detail how this can be possible and the reasons why He does this. He is of course invisible and can pass through normal matter with ease. (Source: Open Letter to Kansas School Board)

Now while I know about as much about palaeo-this-that-and-the-other as your average Kansas School Board trustee, that's pretty impressive. And it must be true, because the picture looks just like a plate of spaghetti - uh make that Spaghetti. It almost makes me wish Mr. Tory had won the provincial election so we could have FSM/ID taught in our schools (with instructors respectfully attired in full pirate regalia of course).

RAmen. May you be touched by His Noodly Appendage. Now excuse me, I've got to go clean the litter boxes.

(Not familiar with the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? Hie thee away to http://www.venganza.org/ and get educated.)

Now it's the lawyers' fault

Last week it was the military's fault for not telling the government. That didn't go over so well.

So today it's the lawyers' fault for disclosing the information to the court.

Whose fault will it be tomorrow? Stay tuned to QP for the next exciting installment.

Monday's QP & scrum (on combat mission in Kandahar post-2009)....

1. Question Period, January 28, 2008. Opposition leader Stéphane Dion questions Harper on lack of disclosure re the change to the Afghan detainee transfer policy.
2. Scrum discussing continuation of the combat mission in Kandahar after 2009. (EN/FR)

Sandra Buckler & the sound of screaming

It's up to PM whether to fire spokeswoman over Afghan comment, says Tory MP
(Canadian Press, January 26, 2008, 6:20 pm)

. . . But one telephone receiver was shaking with the sound of screaming as a livid Department of National Defence official vented his fury at the Prime Minister's Office.

The military official said his colleagues are incensed by the insinuation that they would be incompetent enough to withhold key details on a politically charged file from their civilian bosses.

He said the Canadian Forces should be receiving plaudits for having signed a detainee-transfer deal when Foreign Affairs failed to do so in 2005, and for having then immediately halted transfers when proof of torture was uncovered in November.

"Instead we've been wearing this," the military official said, shouting loudly enough to shake the phone receiver. He described the mood at DND as "outraged and frustrated." . . .

Stéphane Dion on Afghan detainees, Mulroney-Schreiber

Stéphane Dion on transfer of Afghan detainees

[09:44]

Press conference on January 25, 2008. Stéphane Dion gives a brief review of Harper government record followed by lengthy discussio Stéphane Dion gives a brief review of Harper government record followed by lengthy discussion of Conservative policy on transferring Afghan detainees (scrum, January 25, 2008). Dion reveals that he and Michael Ignatieff were informed confidentially of the change in detainee transfer policy while in Afghanistan earlier in January. Dion and Ignatieff were bound by confidentiality not to disclose the information until it was made public by the government. Stéphane Dion, chef de l'Opposition, commente la politique du gouvernement sur le transfert de détenus afghanes (point de presse le 25 janvier 2008). (EN/FR)

Stéphane Dion commente l'affaire Mulroney-Schreiber

[00:38]

Point de presse le 25 janvier 2008. Stéphane Dion, chef de l'Opposition, commente l'affaire Mulroney-Schreiber - «on a besoin d'av Point de presse le 25 janvier 2008. Stéphane Dion, chef de l'Opposition, commente l'affaire Mulroney-Schreiber - «on a besoin d'avoir une enquête complète». (Français)

Stéphane Dion in Kandahar

Stéphane Dion interviewed on CTV's Question Period from Kandahar, January 13, 2008 - click for video.

Or on YouTube:

Stéphane Dion et Michael Ignatieff à Kandahar

Stéphane Dion et Michael Ignatieff effectuent une visite en Afghanistan. (Presse canadienne, français)

After visiting President Hamid Karzai on Saturday, Dion visited the Kandahar Airfield and a forward operating base on Sunday.

In addition to meeting Karzai and Canadian soldiers, Dion has also met with many diplomats and NGOs.

NGOs have suggested many forms that Canadian involvement could take after the end of the combat mission, including assistance with police training, dealing with corruption, strong programs for women, education and water management. Dion reiterated that even after the end of Canada's combat mission, Liberals would support Canadian military involvement in security, training, monitoring etc.

More at the G&M et Radio-Canada.

We can no longer use our atmosphere as a free garbage dump

Nous ne pouvons plus utiliser notre atmosphère comme décharge gratuite.

Since Stéphane Dion mentioned the Liberal "Balancing Our Carbon Budget" white paper in his recent press conference, here's the background on the announcement from March 16, 2007.

Video of the announcement (2 parts, EN/FR) -

Text of the March 16, 2007 speech -

English - Remarks - Balancing Our Carbon Budget
PDF of the white paper.

En français - Remarques - Respecter notre budget carbone
PDF du livre blanc.

Video of Stéphane Dion's January 9 press conference

For anyone who missed it, here's video of Stéphane Dion's January 9 press conference.

Dion opened with a discussion of the economy and the Conservative record of leaving large deficits which have had to be cleaned up by Liberal governments.

He talks about federal-provincial relations and the first ministers' meeting.

On the subject of the Chalk River / AECL issue (nuclear isotopes), Dion calls again for Gary Lunn's resignation; calls for Lunn to appear before the parliamentary committee on natural resources; calls for the release of the Auditor-General's report on AECL and discusses government interference with administrative tribunals.

On the subject of the environment, Dion discusses the report of the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy and similarities with the Liberal white paper released last March, Balancing Our Carbon Budget.

Re: the Mulroney-Schreiber affair, Dion calls again for a full public inquiry and for the Johnston report to be made public.

On election speculation - Dion will decide how to vote on the budget after seeing and discussing it with his caucus.

In response to a question from Joan Bryden on the Saskatchewan byelection, Dion explains why he appointed Joan Beatty as candidate in Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River.

On David Orchard, he says "I have strong regard for David Orchard, I'm in touch with him often. I hope we'll find a way to use his talents and skills in an optimal way."

Dion reiterated his view that Canada should inform NATO and the government of Afghanistan that our combat mission in Afghanistan will end in February 2009, but that we are willing to take a role in development, training, water management etc.

The video is in three parts, English with voiceover translation of French-language segments. See below for details of contents of each part.



Part 1 [09:22]
In part 1, Dion discusses the economy and the Conservative record of leaving large deficits which have had to be cleaned up by Liberal governments; federal-provincial relations and the first ministers' meeting; the Chalk River / AECL issue (nuclear isotopes); the report of the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy; the Mulroney-Schreiber affair; election speculation. He responds to a question on the Saskatchewan byelection, Joan Beatty and David Orchard.

Part 2 [08:21]
In part 2, Dion responds to questions on the first ministers' meeting; CNSC, Gary Lunn, Chalk River, Linda Keen, the Auditor-General's report on AECL; election speculation; extending the combat mission in Afghanistan.

Part 3 [07:03]
In part 3, Dion takes questions on the economy; Chalk River, Gary Lunn, Linda Keen, government interference with administrative tribunals; and the first ministers' meeting.

Dion's Bali press conference

Finally got a chance to post this on YouTube:

Canadian Liberal leader Stéphane Dion holds a press conference at United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) in Bali, Indonesia, December 12, 2007. (Topics include: environment, climate change, Arctic, permafrost, adaptation, Kyoto Protocol, United Nations, Canada) (2 parts, EN)

What kind of a leader is Stéphane Dion?

What kind of a leader is Stéphane Dion?

Dynamic, cool, funny, green, strong, inspiring, smart.

In this video, Dion plays ball hockey, jokes with Gavin Crawford of This Hour Has 22 Minutes and does some standup comedy at Toronto Summit 2007.

He's strong and inspiring on the environment, Aboriginal issues and human rights.

We can no longer use our atmosphere as a free garbage dump.

Indigenous people are suffering, and we Canadians must be leaders for human rights in the world.

That's why we have a Canada on this planet - to protect human rights.

Stéphane Dion - A Strong, Cool Leader

What kind of leader is Stéphane Dion?

Glad you asked. Strong on the environment, on social justice, on human rights, on the economy and good quality jobs. And cool too! Who needs a rose and an opera cloak when you've got a leather backpack and a husky? Top it all off with a great brain and a great accent - what's not to love!?

To celebrate the start of a new year that will surely bring us the coolest prime minister ever, I've put together a series of 6 short ads on the theme "What kind of leader is Stéphane Dion?"

These videos showcase a few of the many issues Dion has taken a strong stand on to defend Canadians and Canadian interests. (Click the "menu" button to choose another vid from the series.)

1. Too cool
Stéphane Dion - a cool leader. Stéphane Dion discusses Facebook, Avril Lavigne and forking in an interview with This Hour Has 22 Minutes' teen correspondent Mark Jackson (Gavin Crawford). [00:46]

2. Workers & industry
Stéphane Dion shows strong leadership for workers & industry. Dion consults with manufacturers, unions, workers, environmentalists and the provinces on a plan to protect Canadian manufacturing and Canadian jobs. [01:51]

3. Environment
Stéphane Dion protects Canada's environment. Dion discusses how to "reconcile the people and the planet" and make Canada a world leader in technologies to protect the environment and reduce climate change. [01:07]

4. Aboriginal People
Stéphane Dion supports Aboriginal people. Speaking at a powwow in Saskatchewan, Dion calls on the Conservative government to honour the Kelowna Accord to provide First Nations, Inuit and Métis people with better housing, health care, education and clean water. Dion also calls on the government to sign the International Declaration of Indigenous People and for Canada to be a world leader on human rights issues. [01:11]

5. Children - Stéphane Dion's leadership to reduce poverty
Stéphane Dion stands up for Canadian children. Dion discusses his 30/50 plan for reducing poverty in Canada. He commits a new Liberal government to reduce the number of Canadians living in poverty by at least 30% and to reduce the number of children living in poverty by at least 50% in 5 years. [01:09]

6. Human rights
Stéphane Dion shows leadership on human rights, writing to the governor of Montana to request clemency for a Canadian sentenced to die. Stéphane Dion speaks in the House of Commons to ask Harper to do the same, continuing the Canadian tradition of requesting that sentences be commuted for Canadians facing the death penalty in the USA and other countries. [00:47]

And let's not forget Dion's legendary sense of humour! In case you missed it, here are a couple of clips from his memorable performance at the parliamentary press gallery dinner this fall:

Lots more Dion videos available on my YouTube channel at http://ca.youtube.com/bruyerey.