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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Blog of the Week: The Capital ChroniclesBy: Mia Rabson

Posted: 09/7/2014 1:00 AM | Comments:

Political parties have always sent operatives to each other's events. It's basically spying, but it's not exactly covert.

Oftentimes, opposing party MPs will get accredited for another party's convention so they can be prepared to criticize whatever it is they see. It's easier, I suppose, than getting your own people to sneak around to glean what the other parties are doing on a particular day.

The Liberals last week accused the Conservatives of taking it to the next level by planting young Tory staffers in the audience to ask questions of Liberal MPs and candidates, hoping to get them to say something that contradicts what Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has said.

It happened earlier this year with MP John McKay, who was asked about Trudeau's policy that anyone running for the Liberals will be expected to support a woman's right to choose in any vote on abortion.

It happened last week when retired general Andrew Leslie, who is running for the Liberals in an Ottawa riding and is one of Trudeau's key policy advisors, was asked about the Israel-Hamas conflict. In both cases, recordings of the responses were handed over to the media.

Both McKay and Leslie have to be responsible for their answers, no matter who asked them the question. In McKay's case, he clearly criticized Trudeau's policy and even referred to it as a "bozo eruption." Maybe the Conservatives planted the question to a known pro-life Liberal MP hoping to find ammunition against Trudeau. But McKay said what he said, and he likely would have said it no matter who asked the question.

The Conservative staffer did not say, "Hey, John McKay, do you think Trudeau's policy on anti-abortion candidates makes him a bozo?" McKay came up with that response all on his own, and he and Trudeau need to explain and come to terms with what that means for both of them and the party.

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Friends, foes and Liberals among us