Opinionated Fool

And another one being requested by Michael Ignatieff’s liberal party. Why? It might just be they really think the government isn’t doing what it’s supposed to be doing–is somehow, possibly, holding things back and preventing Canadians from being vaccinated against it sooner. Of course, it’s every bit as likely it could also be that they genuinely believe every word of the email that was rather accidentally on purpose spread around by liberal upper management, starting with their president, Alfred Apps.

The slightly less talked about possibility? They’re targetting the misery vote. Which, as the National Post is quick to point out, doesn’t carry a whole lot of benefit. Well, beyond the fact the liberal party gets to beat this issue to death while all the while tooting their own horn about their better than now preparedness during the SARS outbreak of 2003.

Naw, that can’t be it either. I mean, they aren’t saying their plans would be a whole lot better than the currently in place plans, are they? Surely not. That would be like casting doubt on themselves. Considering most if not all the current plans in place are leftovers from days of old, when crises like that would have been a liberal problem to deal with. Including the single-source contract with GSK to produce the H1N1 vaccine, that was entered into under Jean Chretien and which isn’t up until 2011. The liberals aren’t now taking aim at a uselessly bad contract into which they entered, are they? I didn’t think so.

No one can really prove the liberals actually aranged it that way, or that the CBC went on a hunt for someone who would back up the opinion we’re supposed to be reading from the interview in question, but it’s not much of a stretch to suspect one or both. Particularly after Mark Sakamoto, Ignatieff’s director of political operations–well, okay, one of them, showed up completely and totally by accident on a news report for CBC’s the National. Except it might not have been an accident. He, plus his wife and children, were standing in line at one of the H1N1 vaccination sites they’ve been saying are coming out as complete and utter failures. And, surprise surprise, when asked his opinion on the H1N1 delivery, he too said it was a complete and utter failure. Oh, and what was kept quiet by the CBC? Sakamoto used to work for them.

Folks, I watched the emergency debate on Monday night. Admittedly, out of boredom more than anything else. In between repeatedly informing the opposition that Canada was ahead of schedule with the H1N1 vaccines, and has ordered enough to stick everyone who wants one with a needle and then some, the conservatives suggested that the liberals, as well as the NDP, are trying to politicise the H1N1 problem. While all the while the liberals shot back that it’s not a partisan issue. Well, they’re right. But they’re also wrong. See, Michael, your man on TV just outed you. Horible coincidence or not, intentional or not, ethics bungle or not–quick, ask the ethics commissioner if you screwed up–Sakamoto, a current liberal employee and a former CBC employee, just slapped a partisan tag on it. Tell me it doesn’t suck to be a liberal party member right now.

At least, if you want to take the word of one liberal president Alfred Apps as golden. He let fly with an email on Monday, escentially stating the conservatives would much rather let Canadians die than actually, you know, come out with a solid plan for distributing of the H1N1 vaccines to Canadians. Oh, he may very well be right–the plans for vaccinations could have probably been much better executed than they have been, particularly last week. But he overlooks one very minor detail. That detail, rather abruptly, was rather pointed out to him in a direct reply email–from another liberal party member.

Based on all reports the roll out has been an unmitigated disaster. It appears provincial health officials couldn’t organize a two car parade!!

Yep, even some level-headed liberals who still have 3 functioning brain cells are putting responsibility for distribution exactly where it needs to be–on the shoulders of provincial governments. Some of which, naturally, are also liberal. Oops. Keep trying, Alf. You’ll catch on someday.

For his part, Michael Ignatieff is pretty much… well, um… doing exactly the same thing–pinning the absolute mess of a provincial distribution system on the conservatives. He, his health critic, and the NDP’s Jack Layton himself stood up in Monday night’s emergency debate, demanding the federal health minister take responsibility for the failure. because, you know, the federal government has all kinds of controll over Canada’s provincial health system. Well, at least their consistent. Not necessarily right, but since when has that ever stopped them?