Bernier's record of gaffes indefensible: Ignatieff

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier has embarrassed this country and it should be for the last time, says Deputy Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.

The House of Commons resumes Monday after a week-long break. The official opposition is expected to ask Bernier to resign from his cabinet post after the minister made an empty-handed promise to an aid agency.

Bernier told an aid agency giving relief to cyclone-stricken Burma that Canada would provide one of the military's C-17 cargo planes to help airlift World Food Program helicopters to the region. However, the military did not have one available. A Russian aircraft had to be rented for almost $1 million to deliver on Bernier's promise. The Tories spent $3.4 billion on acquiring C-17s to avoid such situations.

Ignatieff said Bernier has damaged Canada's international reputation.

"He's lost the confidence of his own department," he told CTV's Question Period on Sunday. "You can't make promises on the international stage if you can't deliver. This was a serious mistake."

Bernier's aides claimed the minister had been given faulty information. But some opposition MPs said Bernier should lose his job.

This wasn't Bernier's only mistake, Ignatieff said. The minister was wrong to ask for the resignation of Kandahar's Governor Asadullah Khalid in April.

"It was an unwarranted interference on the affairs of our allies and friend and undermined our department's efforts to improve human rights in Afghanistan," he said from Vancouver.

Canada has not emerged as a leader on the international front in the wake of the natural disasters that have ravaged China and Burma, Ignatieff said.

Shortly after the disaster, which struck Burma on May 2-3, Canada pledged $2 million in aid -- a figure that was criticized as being too low. Ottawa then announced it would match private donations made by Canadians to aid groups, but that promise only extends to donations made between May 15 and June 6.

Ignatieff blamed what he called Bernier's lack of understanding of Canada's role in offering humanitarian aid.

"Where you've got a regime that was denying food aid to its people, Canada developed a doctrine called 'responsibility to protect' which says that other states should step in and try to help," said Ignatieff. "(Bernier) wouldn't even use those words. He doesn't even appear to be familiar with the long history that Canada has developed in terms of "responsibility to protect."

Ignatieff also blasted Bernier for responding to the Chinese earthquake with a news release rather than action.

"We were nowhere to be seen when Canadians across the country were seeing on their screens images of suffering, images of grief, images of horror," he said.

The Conservatives are to blame for Bernier's mistakes as it reflects the party's overall leadership skills, Ignatieff said.

"The Prime Minister Stephen Harper chose this guy so it calls into question his judgment in personnel," he said.

Comments are now closed for this story

andr�
said

What did Bernier do that was so wrong? If this is the best shot that professor Ignatief can come up with, Mr. Dion should ask him to resign. The Liberals really need to convince Canadian voters that they are not socialists like the NDP. This latest tempest in a teapot shows that they are missing the point or that they prefer to spin their wheels.

Ellen S
said

It is intersting to me that we are surprised when one of our elected officials makes a gaffe. Our officials are not interviewed and hired based on their capabilities to fulfil the requirements of specific positions that need qualified personnel to fill them. We get what we elect - a glorified popularity contest - so why is there surprise when they muck it up?

james
said

Lets see, under the Liberals, the military had no aircraft to do this work and the promise would never have been made. Now we do have the aircraft but they are so needed elsewhere, it wasn't available.

I don't get what the point Uncle Sam Ignatiff is trying to make.

Nicole
said

Ignatieff is an eloquent intellectual, and despite all the kneejerk catcalls he speaks the truth and his loyalty to Canada is above reproach

First off I absolutely cannot stand the condescending tone of Mr. Ignatieff as he speaks down to us lowly commoners. He speaks soooo slowly, like he's talking to a kindergarten class. To say that a man who has lived out of the country for twenty years is above reproach for his loyalty to Canada is laughable when the same people claim Harper is Bush lite and wants to Americanize Canada. Mr. Bernier is certainly not perfect, but there have been more than enough gaffes by Liberal cabinet ministers to fill a file cabinet. Give the man a break and let him do his job instead of having to defend his personal life and maybe he will do better.

John
said

If the Liberals were in power we wouldnt even have any C-17s. The C-17s are busy trying to fill the gap in our military thanks to the liberals. If the liberals were in power we would still be renting large transports from the Russians, yeah cause that makes sense. I cant wait to see a conservative majority.

Sandy, ON
said

I don't see how being away from Canada has anything to do with intelligent decisions and knowing right from wrong.

Foreign Affairs and Human Rights is the specialty of Ignatieff and Rae and they have every right to criticize.

The comment about puffins had no relation to this issue and as some say, hiding the excrement may refer to the Conservative Reform Alliance Party - in short CRAP.

The haters making stupid comments doesn't mean a thing on something this important.

td
said

So a C-17 wasn't available and we rented an aircraft instead.
I seem to recall that under a Liberal government an ancient C-130 Herc had to turn back from taking relief supplies to East Timor. Not once but four times. We are getting closer to replacing those old aircraft but like most Liberal messes it will take time.

Raj
said

This man hasn't lived in canada for a long time.He's a non issue.

B . Lang
said

Note to Conservatives you are allowed to take weekends off especially this one as you are all looking a bit foolish trying to defend this.

Face facts Bernier royally screwed up and is showing he is not competent enough to do the job. His screw ups had nothing to do with 13 years of Liberal blah blah or NDP whatever as you guys like to paint it, he's just a Harper picked mistake that doesn't deserve to be defended.

If anyone out in the real world screwed up as often as this guy did unemployment would be the outcome.

Dale
said

What politician hasn't been an embarassment at one point?

Randy H
said

Ah the Conservative bobbleheads are quick off the mark today aren't they? Well so far todays poll here at CTV differ from your opinions quite a bit.

Larry Israelson
said

While I understand the concern, it is important to give the minister some time to adjust to his role. Everytime something goes wrong we can't just throw people out of office if there intent is to do good. Clearly the minister has made some errors but he deserves time and coaching to make him into a superstar. Politics is a thankless job and lets try to focus on whats going right not what s wrong and I am sure Canada's score card will be high.

Discusted
said

I agree that Bernier messed it up and this is not the first time. He is not doing anyone any favours by staying in his position. Canadians will remember the Liberal and NDP in how they never help Canada's image by only looking for something to find fault--even when they wrong they do not apolagize. Do you think Canadians will want to have the Liberal or NDP govern?

CG
said

"We were nowhere to be seen when Canadians across the country were seeing on their screens images of suffering, images of grief, images of horror," he said.

Got that right! only one thing ... the suffering and grief is in our own country also so how about acting for that!

$2 million was enough for Burma -- no more is needed. Furthermore he is being treated as the fall guy for Harper's decisions.

FidoCanuck
said

Is it me or does it seem like people become politicians become they can't make it in the real world. Couldn't hack a real job. What a buch of bafoons. All of them, Left, Right and Centre.

Bruce
said

Yikes...it appears that perfection is a prerequisite for politics. "He who has not sinned amongst them, can cast the first stone...:

Shawn
said

While I am not impressed that the promised aircraft had to be rented, I wonder how much it would cost to have sent of our planes vs renting it anyway, probably not much of a difference.

As far as Ignatieff is concerned, look at your own party first before looking to make changes elsewhere. You still have "the Gutless Wonder Dion" at the helm which doesn't speak highly of the entire Liberal caucus's judgement making.

Stephanie
said

It seems that the Conservatives and their supporters use the same "logic" to defend themselves against justified criticism - "but the Liberals did it too!" The only defense they have is to point out all of the wrong things the previous government did - that is hardly a justificaton for incompetence. Adults take responsibility for their mistakes rather than pointing the finger at others who have made similar errors in judgement. It's been more than two years that we've had to endure the unaccountable, undemocratic Harper government, and we're still hearing "the Liberals did this, the Liberals did that" - what are the Conservatives doing? That's the only thing that counts in the here and now, and the fact that they can't figure out what it is they've actually done should give us all pause for worry. Bernier, like all members of the Conservative cabinet, is incompetent and unqualified to represent Canadians nationally and internationally. The entire government should resign and stop embarassing Canada.

Jason Toronto
said

Maybe if Ignatieff would realize we have only 4 let me say that again 4 aircraft and we are committed to a conflict in Afghanistan. I like to think our troops being supplied takes priority over all else!!This comming from a guy who thinks his party is like the puffin because they hide their excrement!!If Bernier thought he new the C-17s sked and was wrong so be it. DND I like to think people realize is a very fluid department!! The liberals are so desparate have nothing to go on will grab anything!!Remember that the next time we go to the polls!
Cheers jason

madashell
said

Mr Ignatieff should go back to the States for at least the next twenty years! And if he took Dion with him then maybe we could get on with building Canada UP instead of tearing Canada DOWN.
Back to the USA, Mr Ignatieff

Patricia
said

The Conservatives are such a secretive sly group of people that it is surprising that anything becomes known about the Tory way of handling things. Is it any wonder that Liberals and NDPers express their frustration by criticizing anything that they can. Like a lot of Canadians these two parties know that there is much hidden in the Tory agenda and I believe it is their way of trying to keep the heat on the Tories to keep Canadians aware that all in Ottawa is not well and that Harper, a one man party, does not have the interests of ordinary Canadians on his radar screen.

PJR
said

I am very surprised that Conservative voters, who are always whinging about something or other wasting their tax dollars see no problem in a minister who cost all of us 1,000,000$ because he was too incompetent to check with the military whether they had a plane available.. that money represents 33% of the total aid alotted to Burma and could have been donated as aid rather than being squandered.. and then he calls for the governor of Kandahar province to be replaced.. I mean who is advising this guy?

Ryan P.
said

The only thing that is weak is the failed foreign policy of the federal Liberal Party of Canada for 13 years. Can Iggy even comment on a topic such as this-he was an American up until a few years ago-and he did err support the war in Iraq....the things that leave the mouths of leadership candidates.

hollinm
said

Ignatieff is said to be the pretend leader of the Liberal Party. Here he is making a big deal out of a non issue and looking pretty silly.
If the Liberal party ever expects to get back into power they better start raising their game in the eyes of the public.
Watching the Liberals trying to score points on faux scandals and supposed gaffes by a Minister is not the way to win the hearts and minds of Canadians. However, when you think about it that's all the Liberals have to talk about because they have no real policies of their own to present to the Canadian people.

John T
said

Too many of these posts are simply ad hominem partisan snipes.

Ignatieff is an eloquent intellectual, and despite all the kneejerk catcalls he speaks the truth and his loyalty to Canada is above reproach.

Try to be objective, people. It is the duty of the opposition to question the party in power, limit abuse and strive to correct inefficiencies.

If you believe the Conservatives are doing a good job then you must also believe they can do better. That is what we all want.

We need to work together to strengthen Canada, not allow it to be divided along ideological lines - or worse, participate in that division.

Cretz's fault
said

Mr Ignatieff,
Under the former Liberal government, a Minister made a strikingly similar uninformed promise to a Quebec MP to get Montreal-donated supplies via DND aircraft for hurricane relief. Once deemed unworkable and in order to save face, those items were quietly sent (also at a cost) by automobile/boat to their destination.
Hey, if (and only if) a C-17 is available, lets use it...at least we have them now. I don't remember Canada having the choice before.
The Liberal closet is full of ghosts Mr Ignatieff. Your strategists/advisors layed an egg on this latest attack.

Tim McDermott
said

The International Community could care less what type of airplane we use to transport aid to Burma. A tempest in a tea pot. We did not buy a Fleet of transport Aircraft, we bought four. With only four aircraft, and a whole list of other committments, a short notice request thrown on top of a list of requests could not be met. Canada made good on it's promise to deliver the WFP helicopters. They were delivered in a timely fashion, and for that the UN and the international community are thankful. We have not lost any stature... to suggest that our international reputation could be harmed because the cargo aircraft didn't have Canadian Roundrels on the Aircraft is stupid.

Andrew in BC
said

Wow, what a bunch of bunk! Why would Canada be offering millions of dollars, supplies, and man power to one of the richest and most prepared countries in the world? We have enough problems of our own on our own land!

I agree that Bernier should save his advice on Afghanistan for his boss instead of the press...hence PM Harper's rule of advising him before making any public statements. As for the lack of a C-17 to aid Burma and embarrasing Canadians across the globe when it was found out that we did not have one available, who cares? We went out and rented a plane to accomplish what was needed, what is the difference as long as the shelters got to where they were needed? Every time the Liberals speak out these days it just cements my decision to vote conservative in the future (and yes, I regret to say that I had always voted liberal in the past)

Daniel, Belle River
said

"Stupid Americans. I hate those bastards."

"Crosses burning in BC"

"PM throttles protester"

As long as there are politicians and cameras there are going to be slip-ups and gaffes. To say that one party lacks leadership as opposed to another party is plainly a matter of perspective. No party has a lock on the leadership angle. No party can claim the high road.

Those among us that demand perfection from our political parties are naive, at best. As a conservative I realize that my party of choice is not perfect, just as the Liberals are not perfect. Harper does stretch the truth, just as Dion does. Harper does lie, just as much as Dion. Who among us doesn't?

Just be careful when you throw rocks in a glass house...

Bruce
said

This coming from the guy who mused about Liberals being like Puffins hiding their excrement?

Allan Eizinas
said

Bernier is obviously not minor portfolio material never mind the high profile of Foreign Affairs.

On of the major problems of not having been in government for over 13 years is that there is a very small pool of competent and experienced people to run the major cabinet positions.

The more major problem here is � if not Bernier than whom?

bg
said

While I realize that oppostion parties must criticize the government, but does it not seem that mikey more of a whiner and complainer about trivial things that really mean nothing. Instead of coming across as a polished leader in waitng, he sounds like a spoiled child with middle child syndrome.... Any credibility that he had is being erroded by his trivial whining about things that really do not matter. Maybe instead of constantly complaining, come up with something constructive so that people can see the alternative to the conservatives it would serve him better. Wait, they dont have anything to offer that is really in touch with the voters - if they did they would have forced an election. If Mikey does not win the leadership the next round, anyone want to bet he does a belinda and quits, going back to the USA....
hmmm

Greg in the Hammer
said

The Liberal Part and its minions should be the last bunch pointing out gaffes on the international stage or leaking sensitive information.

Hmmm, lets see. An aide to Jean Chretien calls George Bush a moron on camera at a G8 summit, Ralph Goodale while finance minister presides over an income trust policy leak.....and on and on.

It is becoming painfully clear that their two years in the wilderness has done nothing to smarten up the Liberal Party of Canada and offer Canadians alternatives.

Their too busy infighting and positioning themselves for the time after Dion implodes once and for all.

Hopefully Canadians will condemn them to the dustbin of history ala the Liberal Party of England during the time of Lloyd George.

Geoff
said

Nice to see the Liberals calling for the "invasion" of yet another country to help them out. I am losing track of the number of countries that we are supposed to "invade", or "protect the people from themselves."
Thank God that the Conservatives are carefully choosing where to help in the world instead of "invading" at every opportunity.

Wonder how proud the Liberals are of the UN's action: "the UN sends 200,000 condoms to Myanmar, which the government has accepted."

"Cyclone Nargis left at least 133 000 people dead and missing, and aid groups had complained that supplies were not getting to survivors quickly enough because of limitations imposed by the ruling junta."

- both quotes from news24.com

Liberals and the junta in Mynamar both need to re-visit their priorities.

Maybe we would have more heavy air lift capability if the Liberals had done anything except gut the military while in office.

Get off your high-horse Mr. Ignatieff or prepare to fall.

Dave
said

Bernier is incompetent and he, as well as the rest of this lying CONservative party, need to be given the boot.

fabien - I can't believe your comment. If it were a liberal embarassing the country the way Bernier has done, you and every other deceived right winger would be on here crying for their dismissal. Don't even try to pretend that you wouldn't. The CONs have NOT done an excellent job, their supporters have just gotten really good at looking the other way, that's all. You're proof of this.

dazed and confused
said

OK. I think I must be missing the boat here...
We came through to honour a promise eventhough it cost $1m to rent a plane, we are taking a active role in working with the Afghan government and expect a voice consider our soldiers are getting killed there and offered too low an aid figure to a militaristic government until we knew that the funds would make it to the people in need?
I don't understand which I guess is why I don't vote Liberal anymore.

david
said

The only thing liberals and NDP have to contribute to this country is calling for people to be fired. They never have any alternate policies, and constantly create imaginery scandals.
Bernier was given incorrect information on the C17's, but we wont hear about that.

BobLoblaw
said

Ignatieff - this is weak. Seriously, the plane was provided as were millions of dollars in relief. Every time you get yourself involved in one of these namecalling partisan affairs, you demean your own status. You and the faltering Liberal Party should be focusing on rebuilding the pathetic grounds the party stands on instead of making weak attempts to unseat the government.

The Liberals seem to be stuck in the 90s with this sort of blame-gaming and in tandem with the ridiculous carbon tax - proves the Liberals have absolutely no idea what the pulse is, never mind potentially getting their finger on it...

Gren
said

Wait...would Ignatief prefer that Canada not provide an air craft at all as one was not available? Or would he prefer that Bernier promise to rent a plane to assist? Canada did what it needed to do under the circumstances. Making noise is all this is about...partisan politics...Igantief, the fact you would pick this as an issue demonstrates you are not ready to govern. If you are going to pick an issue and make it partisan make it news worthy!

Granted the 2 million in aid is a little low...

Jeff S.
said

"The Prime Minister Stephen Harper chose this guy so it calls into question his judgment in personnel," he said.

Ignatieff spent some 20 years living and teaching in the United States and then conveniently moves to Canada to take a shot at the Liberal leadership. He's hardly one to talk about someone elses qualifications to serve in the Canadian government.

fabien carpentier
said

The conservative are doing an excellent job and I wish the liberal quit complaining the were in power for a decade and only taxes us did nothing to curb crime now they can only complain but have no plan of how to make thing better except to raise the gst and add a carbon taxe that will only hurt the average canadian no one believe that they will give it back at tax time as they never lowe taxes before for the average canadian

FreakAlert
said

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics, is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." ~ Plato

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