MP Maria Minna Should Apologize

On tonight's edition of the Michael Coren Show, Liberal MP for Beaches-East York Maria Minna made the comment to the effect that "What I find most insulting as a parliamentarian is when the Prime Minister stood up before the house voted to extend the deadline of the mission in Afghanistan to 2009 and said that if the house voted not to extend the deadline, he'd extend it anyways..."

Of course that is not an official quote - I'm running by my memory solely. Those out there with better memories can correct the exact wording, but nevertheless the accusation was plain and clear: Harper said he would extend the deadline anyways.

That was a lie.

What Harper actually said was this:

However, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday he would have continued Canada's military mission in Afghanistan for one year if opposition MPs voted down the extension.

"What we would do is proceed cautiously for a year," Harper told the House. "If we have to go further beyond that, we would seek a mandate from the Canadian people."

One can readily understand why Harper would "proceed cautiously for a year" on account of the fact that troops can't be pulled out of commitment next Tuesday. Anyone that says otherwise is living in a dream world. His comments, if really meant as a flaunting of the will of parliament, would have otherwise been pounced upon by the media as such.

Mrs Minna should apologize and retract such a ridiculous statement. Harper's comments were not meant and were never interpreted as meaning he would extend the mission without the approval of parliament. If he had meant that why would he be making the threat to go to the people over this issue? If he didn't feel he needed the approval of parliament then making a threat to fight an election so as to get a parliamentary majority that would approve his extension seems like wheehacky-woohoo.

If you feel so compelled to contact Mrs Minna please do: Minna.M@parl.gc.ca