- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
tomahawk6 said:Good for him !!
Yes indeed!!!
The Liberals are not a party I'd wish to belong to if I had to stand up and call someone a liar!
tomahawk6 said:Good for him !!
Thucydides said:After this train wreak, will Micheal Ignatieff, Bob Rae or Justin Trudeau be willing to take over as leader of the Liberals?
recceguy said:Just listened to the edited tape conversation. There's nothing there. If that's all they've got on the CPC, the liberals are screwed.
I think after this one bites them in the ***, a rabid rhesus monkey could run against Dion and win.
I believe that their ownly roadblock to doing so is the demographics of southern ontario and SaltSpring Island in B.C.
This could cost the Liberal Party a real wack of money if the libel suit against them goes anywhere...unless they have an ace up their sleeves they have not played yet- which I doubt.
stegner said:if the Liberals wanted to go back and examine what Conservative members have said about Liberals around the time of the Sponsorship scandal or other recent incidents, much of which was never substantiated with hard evidence, they would have an equal case for libel action.
stegner said:I don't think this will cost the Libs a lot of money. Though I have been wrong before. It is rather unprecedented for a Prime Minister to sue a Leader of the Opposition and the courts might not be pleased with Harper's attempt to place political revenge in the courts. Let's face it, if the Liberals wanted to go back and examine what Conservative members have said about Liberals around the time of the Sponsorship scandal or other recent incidents, much of which was never substantiated with hard evidence, they would have an equal case for libel action. Harper should not be taking a page out of the Brian Mulroney play book by suing people. As Prime Minister he should refuse to dignify the Liberal accusations with a response other than to point to possible RCMP investigation and place the office above affronts to his personal dignity. The threat of lawsuit will only beget more lawsuit and further contribute to the horrendous decorum of our Parliamentary institutions. This is a very slippery slope if politicians begin to sue one another. Maybe Chretien will think he was libeled by Harper & Co. about Shawnigate?
So you are literally saying that the Prime Minister no longer has the rights of the common Canadian citizen to file a Slander Suit?
There's a difference in what they say in Parliment where they're protected, but once they step out of chambers, they have to follow the same rules as you or I. They didn't and now are in a position to be sued. They don't seem to be any better at being the lawyers they are, as the politicians they play at.
fully appreciate this. My point is that the Conservatives could be interpreted to have libeled Liberals on occasion for their actions and words outside the House. Hence, the slippery slope. This is a bad precedent of MP's suing MP's. Solve your problems in the House ladies and gents.
But this is precisely the problem- IIRC, the Conservatives coasted up the line of libel, without actually crossing into territory that would get a court very upset. The Liberals appear to have strategically blundered- they have accused a sitting PM of a criminal offence. They didn't say "Harper allegedly knew of bribe" - they say he did know of bribe. This may be construed as libel.
Go visit the two websites:
www.liberal.ca
www.conservative.ca
See the difference in style. Sure, the Conservatives make Mr Dion look like a buffoon, but they don't accuse him of criminal activity.
BTW, I'm not arguing as a partisan of a particular party- I'm just fascinated how the Liberals are blowing what three days ago seemed like the issue to bury the Conservatives.
stegner said:I see your point and yield to it. I still do not like the fact of the PM suing MP's when he should only be suing the Liberal Party for its website.