1. Putting pen to paper. Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals are demanding the release of the letter sent by Harper chief of staff Guy Giorno to Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson, which purportedly lays out the allegations against former cabinet minister Helena Guergis.
“Come on, let’s see that letter from Guy to Mary Dawson,” a senior Ignatieff official says. “I sincerely believe that the Giorno letter is at the heart of this thing because it will show the true nature of Stephen Harper – because he obviously approved it.”
“It is about the PM’s judgement,” the official adds. “We’ve been saying that for weeks now.”
Indeed, the Giorno letter is attracting much controversy as a result of testimony this week by private investigator Derrick Snowdy. He told a Commons committee the information he provided to the Conservatives – which led to Ms. Guergis’s resignation and expulsion from caucus – was misrepresented.
The private investigator is believed to be the principal and so-called credible source that led the Tories to act against the former status of women minister. Ms. Guergis is now fighting back.
Yesterday, in a statement to the media, she asked again for the reasons why she was fired; she says she still is in the dark as to what she has supposedly done to justify her treatment and an RCMP investigation. Her case was bolstered by Mr. Snowdy’s testimony that he has no evidence of wrongdoing against her.
The Liberals, meanwhile, are pushing hard on this issue. In a series of talking points issued to supporters and MPs this morning, they note that it is five weeks today that Ms. Guergis “was turfed from cabinet, and five weeks without accountability from the Prime Minister as to why.”
“This week, we learned that the reasons for her firing were provided to the Ethics Commissioner, but not the Canadian public,” the Liberals say, adding that voters “have a right to see that letter.”
“If unethical or criminal activity was occurring within the Harper cabinet, Canadians have a right to know about it.”
The Prime Minister's director of communications responds: “Come on, let’s see where the missing $40-million from the sponsorship scandal is,” Dimitri Soudas says. "Some Liberals must know where the missing taxpayer dollars are because they were stolen under their watch – because some of it ended up in Liberal Party coffers.”
2. Taking solace in satire. The Conservatives appear to be feeling the heat. Yesterday, Stephen Harper’s strategists issued a memo mocking the Liberal Leader and his aristocratic Russian roots.
Under the headline, “Russian Duke Craves Power in Canada,” the Tories linked to an article that appeared with the same headline in the on-line edition of Pravda. It was a profile of Mr. Ignatieff and an exploration of his Russian ancestry.
The article says Mr. Ignatieff will “most likely” be prime minister in 2012 and that his ancestors “taught him not to complain and give up when the times are tough but work towards your goals.” Not surprisingly, the Conservatives – who love to paint Mr. Ignatieff as an out-of-touch-just-visiting-American-phile and esthete – had some fun with it.
“Many Canadians probably don’t know that Mr. Ignatieff admits being ‘flattered’ when addressed using his aristocratic and hereditary title, ‘Count Michael Ignatieff,’” the Tories say.
“Michael Ignatieff is a self-identified ‘cosmopolitan’ who admits being ‘horribly arrogant’,” the memo adds, refering to an interview Mr. Ignatieff gave to a Radio-Canada show from 1991.
The Liberals laughed this off. “I understand they are desperately trying to change the channel from Guy Giorno’s spin when he writes to the Ethics Commissioner to justify dumping Guergis but this one is pretty dumb,” a senior Ignatieff official says.
In addition to the Tory talking points, journalists received a mock invitation to Mr. Ignatieff’s residence, Stornoway, to celebrate the birthday of “Two Great Leaders” – Mr. Ignatieff, who celebrated his 63rd birthday on Wednesday, and Czar Nicholas II, who was born May 18, 1868.
“One Great Day,” the well-produced invitation says. “Count Michael Ignatieff & Czar Nicholas II.” At the bottom, in very small print, it adds: “This is intended as political satire.”
To which the Ignatieff official scoffs: “I mean, really. Is that all the geeks can do?”
