Pot calling, the kettle is black

I've tried very hard not to blog about the Michaëlle Jean affair, though I have commented in many blogs about it. In my opinion it was an irrelevant smear campaign, meant to embarrass the Liberals at the expense of Mme Jean's reputation. I fully expected it to simply go away with Mme Jean's re-commitment to Canada, on behalf of herself and her husband, the other day.

Now, it was a minor issue and that should have been it.

But it wasn't.

Pierre Poilievre, CPC MP for my riding of Nepean-Carleton here in Ottawa, thinks differently. He is asking for his constituents, and members of the Royal Canadian Legion in particular, to write to the Queen directly. Now the Legion here owes him a great and well deserved debt of gratitude, as he and MPP John Baird hosted a BBQ last month that raise over $30 000 to help them rebuild the Manotick branch, which had been destroyed by fire the month before. I attended myself and thought they did a good job in a non-partisan event for a great cause. Now Mr. Poilievre is asking these folks to write the Queen and tell her of their concerns about a candidate for Governor General with "ties to the FLQ and support of the separatist cause".

Clearly Mr. Poilievre is a true patriot and wishes to fight for Canada. He certainly wouldn't be trying to make political hay from this, would he?

So imagine my surprise to discover that it is possible that this same Pierre Poilievre, CPC MP for Nepean-Carleton, was once an active, card-carrying member of the Alberta Separation Party. According to this allegation, made in May, long before Michaëlle Jean's name came up for GG:

"Pierre was Ezra Levant's communications director. As a Young PC, I saw Pierre and his antics while he was a card-carrying member of the Alberta Separatist Party. I challenge Pierre to prove me otherwise. He knows its true. Once the residents find out they are represented by a Stock-a-holic, they will go streaming back to the Liberals" [Emphasis mine]

Now, I know what some of you will say : "Big deal, an unfounded allegation made by a Liberal and former PC". No different in veracity and tone than the allegations leveled at Mme Jean.

Well, it seems to me that if we are to hold Michaëlle Jean to such a high standard, even though she is getting a largely ceremonial position and the extent of her "crime" was that she once had a toast with separatist and perhaps maybe sort of supported their cause 10 years ago, we should certainly expect to hold Pierre Poilievre to the same standards. Actually he should be held to a higher standard, since he is an elected, sitting MP with real power who could in the future, sit as a government member or even in Cabinet. And it seems that Pierre, rather than simply cavorting and associating with separatists, actually was active in, and joined a party whose purpose was to destroy Canada.

I wonder what all those veterans he was feting last month, and who are now writing to the Queen at his behest, would think about him if they knew that? I wonder what his supporters in my largely conservative riding would think of that now, since none of us knew that during the last election? You don't suppose Pierre Poilievre is exploiting this for political gain, do you?

I as a resident of Nepean-Carleton need to know if my sitting MP was ever a member of a separatist party. I need to hear from him a re-commitment to Canada. It is far more important for him to "come clean" and admit it, than it ever was for Michaëlle Jean.

And he might want to take down that hypocritical website too.

Unless, of course, its ok to forgive past mistakes and youthful indiscretionions, but only if you are a Conservative. I guess it's ok to accept a change in political heart, but only if you are a Conservative. I guess its ok to accept a recommitment to Canada, unless you are a Conservative.

So tell me, how's that moral relativism working out for ya?

Note: In order to try to clarify this, I have written to the Ottawa Citizen asking them look into this, since it is both a local and national story around here. I've asked a few fellow bloggers out west for help to. If any of you reading this have any information that either supports or refutes Mr. Poilievre's past links to Alberta separatists, feel free to post it, so we can know for sure.

Update:

So Peter Rempel didn't get it. And neither did bijoux55. Robert McClelland did. Andy did. Perhaps you guys ought to read it again. And look for the Monty Python reference. And take this little hint.