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rfmcdonaldThere was a minor political scandal when an aide to Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt left some marginally secret documents in a public place and was fired. More recently, the Chalk River Laboratories, Canada's oldest nuclear facility and a source of medical radioisotopes, was closed due to safety reasons, potentially leaving huge numbers of people worldwide without medical treatment. Raitt, it's been revealed, thinks the crisis sexy.
Sexy?
"Oh, yeah, take the knowledge that you're not going to have the therapy that you need to save your life, oh yeah, you take it bitches."
Anyway, you can listen to the conversation at the Chronicle-Herald.
By the way, guess which recent Conservative minority government fired an ombudsperson who closed down the facility on technical and safety grounds.
Elsewhere, John Baird, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communitites, had something interesting to say in relation to Toronto's request for more funding for the TTC from the federal government.
All in all, I feel quite good about the ruling party's governance of Canada. Don't you?
Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt called the medical isotopes crisis "sexy," said she wanted to take credit for fixing it, and expressed doubts about the skills of Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq on a recording obtained by The Chronicle Herald.
Ms. Raitt made the comments to her former aide, Jasmine MacDonnell, in a conversation that appears to have been inadvertently recorded by Ms. MacDonnell on Jan. 30, while the two were being driven to an event in Victoria, B.C.
The news is likely to raise questions about Ms. Raitt's handling of the isotope crisis, and about her judgment, since she promoted Ms. MacDonnell, 26.
Soon after the Victoria trip, Ms. MacDonnell misplaced the voice recorder containing the recording in the press gallery in Ottawa, and asked The Chronicle Herald to hold it for her until she could collect it. Five months later, she had not picked it up.
[. . .]
As they drive around Victoria, chatting with their driver, Ms. Raitt and Ms. MacDonnell discuss their unsuccessful efforts to get Ms. Aglukkaq to contribute a quote to a news release on the isotope crisis.
“They’re terrified of the issues,” said Ms. Raitt.
“You know what? Good. Because when we win on this, we get all the credit. I’m ready to roll the dice on this. This is an easy one. You know what solves this problem? Money. And if it’s just about money, we’ll figure it out. It’s not a moral issue.”
“No,” says Ms. MacDonnell. “The moral and ethical stuff around it are just clear.”
“It’s really clear,” says Ms. Raitt. “Oh. Leona. I’m so disappointed.”
“Isn’t that interesting,” says Ms. MacDonnell. “They’re just so .... I wonder if it’s her staff trying to shield her from it or whether she is just terrified.”
“I think her staff is trying to shield her,” says Ms. Raitt. “Oh, God. She’s such a capable woman, but it’s hard for her to come out of a co-operative government into this rough-and-tumble. She had a question in the House yesterday, or two days ago, that planked. I really hope she never gets anything hot.”
[. . .]
Ms. MacDonnell said the isotope issue is hard to control, “because it’s confusing to a lot of people.”
“But it’s sexy,” says Ms. Raitt. “Radioactive leaks. Cancer.”
“Nuclear contamination,” says Ms. MacDonnell.
“But it’s only about money,” say Ms. Raitt.
Sexy?
"Oh, yeah, take the knowledge that you're not going to have the therapy that you need to save your life, oh yeah, you take it bitches."
Anyway, you can listen to the conversation at the Chronicle-Herald.
By the way, guess which recent Conservative minority government fired an ombudsperson who closed down the facility on technical and safety grounds.
Elsewhere, John Baird, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communitites, had something interesting to say in relation to Toronto's request for more funding for the TTC from the federal government.
The Spec has a story that details the Conservative Transport Minister muttering curses at Toronto for its $1.6-billion request for economic stimulus cash — as Alison Hanes wrote on May 1: $1.22-billion for 204 new light-rail vehicles from Bombardier and $345-million for a new car house to store and maintain them. The TTC approved Bombardier as the supplier, all the while noting it needs funding from higher levels of government to place the order by a June 27 deadline.
In an unguarded moment in front of some reporters Mr. Baird spoke his mind about the application, which is ineligible for stimulus cash in his view:
"Twenty-seven hundred people got it right. They didn't. That is not a partnership and they're bitching at us," he said.
"They should f--- off."
...
Miller said last night Toronto's proposal fits the federal criteria.
He said his meeting with Baird at the convention was "amicable and frank" and that the minister "didn't say that to me" when asked if Baird used the obscenity.
[Baird] said Toronto's submission is ineligible because it doesn't focus on job creation within the next two years in the 416 area.
Meanwhile, he's being accused of covering up an alleged bid to bury complaints of mismanagement against his beleaguered cabinet colleague, Lisa Raitt:
Baird has been accused of "political interference," in connection with Ms Raitt's former job as head of the Toronto Port Authority. New Democrat MP Olivia Chow yesterday called on the federal Auditor-General to investigate why Mr. Baird increased the membership of the authority's board of directors from seven to nine and allowed Ms. Raitt to run up almost $80,000 in travel and other expenses over two years when the organization was running a deficit. Chris Day, a spokesman for Mr. Baird said many of the concerns raised by Ms. Chow have already been raised publicly, and referred all queries to Mark MacQueen, chairman of the Port Authority.
All in all, I feel quite good about the ruling party's governance of Canada. Don't you?
