Our carpetbagger MP (he didn’t move here for the voters, but for the votes!) Tony Clement continues to take my breath away with his unceasing aptitude to get on stage and then perform again in his true colours.
No deviance from the party script for this Tory minion. This time he has assured all Canadians just last week that ministers are justified in having limo drivers like his run up at least $20,000 in overtime, on top of their regular $47,000 salary, to stand around all day waiting for the next opportunity to drive their boss a block or two.
“Because, after all” he stated, “these same cabinet ministers (all 39 of them presumably) work hard and long hours in the interests of the prosperity of Canadians and really what’s a little overtime in this situation”. That’s pretty accurate paraphrasing. “Besides”, he continued. “I am going to walk today and I have already initiated an investigation into ways these costs can be reduced, and I did that before CTV raised this issue on camera.” Another accurate paraphrase.
He was then actually filmed walking past his limo on the short walk to his office - for this one time anyway. He neglected to mention that he launched his investigation well after CTV had filed a request for limo overtime costs under the Freedom of Information Act, and that tomorrow, and until this fuss has died down, cabinet ministers limos would line up somewhere less obtrusive than in front of the Parliament buildings. What a humbug this man is. Definitely his ‘Bev Oda’ moment, with a similar bad smell and optics.
Oh, and Parliament isn’t even in session in July, August or January (except for 2 days) or half of the months of September and December. It is often said that you cannot tell a book by its cover. But I think Tony Clement has to be another exception to this rule. He has his Tory colours nailed firmly to the mast and whether he is spending our money on Muskoka’s $50-million gratuity for funding the G8, looking after his limo driver, participating in the recent unprecedented contempt of Parliament, being complicate in the F35 debacle and then cutting debate on the latest budget which includes reductions in environmental oversight protection (but sadly not MP’s pensions), and on ad nauseam, what you see is what you get. His cover does not lie. His recent performance in office does not make a happy narrative; but, hey, look at his earlier record, what did anyone expect?
Tim McDonald
Township of Muskoka Lakes