Craig's List: For the Liberal leader, the damage is done
Updated Fri. Oct. 10 2008 2:25 PM ET
Craig Oliver, Chief Political Correspondent
In all of the fog of rhetoric and rancour surrounding the thrice-ceased interview with Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, there is one hard reality -- The time has long since passed when anyone aspiring to be a national leader of Canada can be anything less than completely comfortable in both French and English.
To anyone with any comfort zone in English, the questions with having to do with what Mr. Dion would do about the economic crisis if he were prime minister were indelibly clear.
Dion, who has been demanding the Conservative government detail its plans for protecting Canada from the marauding wolves of recession and worse seemed unable to lay out his own ideas of what is needed in this urgent crisis.
However, let's accept Mr. Dion at his word -- that the problem was a difficulty he has with comprehension as a result of some hearing issue. It is a painful thing to say but is he then fit for the highest office in the land if he cannot follow a detailed conversation in English in which great decisions may have to be made? Ottawa is officially a bilingual capital but English is still used extensively by federal bureaucrats and cabinet ministers and their staff.
My impression was that it was an issue of comprehension and not any lack of intelligence or judgment. But the problem is worthy of discussion.
As for Stephen Harper, he would have been wiser to wait until the dust settled before jumping with both feet into the imbroglio to find political advantage. There goes the old meanie Harper surfacing again, unabashedly going for the jugular.
A decision to react in that fashion may also have lost him additional support in Quebec where many francophones feel Harper gets a special break since he is not a born French speaker with whatever small errors in grammar or syntax he may make from time to time. So why not, the criticism goes, offer the same generosity to Dion?
But for the Liberal leader, the damage is done. Whatever issues, causes or victims may arise. He was given three chances to understand the question and reply by a patient careful reporter, Steve Murphy, well-admired by his colleagues on all sides of the fence.
Does anyone believe for a minute that had the situation been reversed, and Mr. Harper forced to stop and start and appear to fumble his way through an interview three times in a French studio that the tape would not be shown to the public?
Whatever the reasons and the justifications, and they will be debated a long time, the result has hurt Mr. Dion. The images of a stammering, somewhat confused leader trying to get his head around a question, is out there, and it buttressed in early Conservative propaganda of Dion as an indecisive and wooly politician.
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Best Electoral Outcome for Canada
I have traced my roots to the companions of Champlain, to English immigrants who backed William Lyon McKenzie in his fight for democracy in Canada, and to Irish immigrants who left their homeland because of religious discrimination. The conduct of the election of 2008 tarnishes the hard work of these pioneers. I am ashamed to have witnessed the half-truths and shenanigans from the political backrooms, the leaders themselves, and the media that gives credibility to fluff over substance.
When one party receives a majority of elected members, our political system essentially elects a dictator. In such cases Canadians can only hope that the dictator acts the same once elected as he/she displays throughout the election campaign, and is benevolent.
There are two changes that must be enacted to reduce the risk to Canadians from choosing the wrong leader of a majority government. Electoral reform, possibly with a preferential ballot, would ensure that all opinions are heard in the House of Commons. Gomery’s 18 recommendations to increase the influence and autonomy of the MP’s, and to curb the power of the Prime Minister’s Office, must be enacted.
The only way that these two changes can be made is if a majority of MP’s agree. That possibility may exist after October 14, but will take the concerted effort of the anti-Harper movement, now that Mr. Harper has shown that his only interest in reforming Canada’s system is in removing one more obstacle to the power of the Prime Minister, which is the Senate.
The best outcome for Canada is a coalition of Liberal, NDP, Green and Bloc members. Among their first priorities should be to undertake these electoral and structural reforms before the next election. Then they can agree on a plan to care for the environment.
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And I suppose the time has long passed that the media act with fairness and honesty when making a committment to a guest that they will not use footage of that guest's process in being clear on a question. Who gives a damn that he couldn't understand the question as posed? ...Betraying a promise. You make me ashamed. Now all your news coverage is suspect as far as I'm concerned. Good luck with what this does to your credibility.
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You nailed it here Mr. Oliver. Dion messed up, but Harper was a little to quick and "mean". What I am fearing is that Dion's mess up will be ignored and the attention will be focused on Harper's "meanness". Personally, I think both should be emphasized like you did here.
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I don't think Harper was being a bully. He is finally fighting back. It is about time. I don't know how I would have reacted to the other parties in that debate. I was impressed with how well he withstood it.
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| Paul R. Martin of Brampton |
Dion simply blew the interview. If this was a sporting event, critics would say he choked. No matter how the Liberals try to spin things, Liberal support will continue to decline because Dion's credibility has been shot. Even before the interview, the Ekos poll showed a 12 point Conservative lead. The Ekos poll had a huge sample of 2,900.
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Yes Craig, but remember your Network as consistently been biased to the Conservatives for the longest time. Mike Duffy can barely make it through his shows without bumbling himself, yet people call him an Icon. Dion is much more intelligent then you folks at ctv give him credit for. And on the same night that the Globe and Mail (ctv's parent newspaper by the way) endorses harper, you decide to air this interview when Steve Murphy said it would not. For what purpose? Comedy? Give me a break. You may not like his policies, but give me a break he's more intelligent than Harper will ever be. More intelligent than Flaherty ever was. Dion and the Liberals are a team. Harper is a one man show!
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It seems to me that the Clarity Act should apply to questions asked by reporters as much as questions regarding the sovereignty issue. The question, in my opinion, was confusing, and the fact that it needed to be repeated more than once in order to get the meaning correct tells me that it wasn't clear, regardless of language issues.
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I recall after Mr. Dion won the Liberal leadership he said we Liberals must get back into power. Perhaps when he heard the phrase "you are the PM" in the question he just became too excited to answer the question. To support this theory, Mr. Dion did keep asking "when did I become PM" to the interviewer.
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Why would PM Harper have to defend what HE said? For the sake of our Country, don't we want a person in charge that didn't stumble at a question where the answer should be top of mind. He stumbled on thee topic of this election. It an election it's about the highest office in the land. There are turbulent times ahead. You have to have a leader that is absolutely strong and focused for the sake of all your fellow citizens.
S. Dion looked confused and the answer was handled as poorly as the question. It (the non-answer) just proves that the Libs. and S. Dion have really no handle on what is happening around them.
All week they were saying we were last in the G7 and behold the latest news WE ARE FIRST and the US is 40th. I am very proud of the handling of these trying times by our PM especially having to deal with economy and election at the same time. He is doing a fantastic job under all these variables.
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There isn't an iota of meanness in the Harper response.
The WHOLE interview was aired over 4 minutes. The interview was restarted three times. This part is not the problem. The problem is the actual FINAL answer in which at one point I think Dion said "abbadabbadoo"
The point is Dion has NO PLAN and has been flying on a wing and a prayer or to be more political correct by the seat of his pants.
It is very legitimate for Harper to say "do you see this guy?"
This is not a franchophone thing it is a man outside his own element. Acedamia has done nothing to train Dion for the crisis we are in and he has NO solution.
That is precisely why Harper has to jump. Any other leader would do the same thing.
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All I got to say is that Dion did understand the question as he even repeated the question back to the interviewee. This is not because of his hearing problem as the interview clearly shows, he simply just didn't have an answer or has no idea what he would have done if he would have been in the PM Harper's shoes. To me that is scary, what will happen when he meets other world leaders? as the English language is the most used in the world. If he cannot understand a simple question, he is not fit to be leader of our country. What would have happen if Harper did not understand a French question, it would have been all over the news channels and news papers. Just like Dion's plagiarized speech to the U.N as an Environment Minister should have made news just as Harper's speech did of 5 years ago when he was opposition leader. Is there a double standard here, I sure think so, especially since Dion was a Minister talking to the WORLD compared to Harper being the opposition leader.
I have to give props to CTV for standing up once again for us Canadians, CTV compared to CBC who only promote the Liberals which are bias against every other party especially the Conservatives. CTV is the only one worth to watch on the national scale and local for the news. Sure CTV is far from perfect, but they do have better integrity then CBC. I would call on the next Government to start giving some funding to CTV and if not stop funding CBC so that we can have better competition between the two.
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Harper is no more "mean" than the opposition leaders. If the situation was reversed they would have done the same, and it would never have been referred to as "mean". I think the lowest politics have been Dion and Layton scaring and panicking the public about the economy for votes, when it really instills more panic in the market.
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Craig please ask him the question again. It was clear to me and in the tape he also looked confident he heard the question so now he has a full 24 hours to think of an answer. The question was what would he do if he were the P.M. today to address the economic situation? And ask Chretian tonight if he were the P.M. what would he do about the economic situation and would he still impose the carbon tax? Seems clear enough to me. Serious damage control by the Liberals but it still doesn't answer the question us Canadians have the right to know.
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Must agree partially with you. However Mr. Murphy went out of his way to explain the question, as well as, someone else who was in the room, to no avail. He just did'nt get it. (Remember Iggy's comment during leadership debate)
Like you said "If you want to be a leader on the World stage and represent a officially bilingual country you have to be at the least somewhat fluent in both languages. I'm french and I enjoy listening to Mr.Harper speak french it shows he put a lot of effort into learning it. THAT SHOWS RESPECT FOR QUEBEC.
Mr. Harper only remarked on what we all observed - Dion did not understand a SIMPLE QUESTION yet proceeded with a non answer
Question: IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO IN A GLOBAL PLATFORM.
I'll vote HARPER (as will my family) anyday even with his imperfections - at least when he goes around the world we are not embarassed.
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Craig,
If you were the interviewer now, what would you have done that the interviewer has not done?
If you were the interviewer today...
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Unfortunately Mr Oliver, I believed you have overlooked one important aspect of this interview- did the editor or CTV have an agenda in releasing this interview? My understanding that re-takes are common and errors are edited out. However it seems from my standpoint that CTV was looking to make an issue that coincides with the Conservative attack adds that have been on our air-ways since December 2007. It is unfortunate that news agencies in this country practice extreme political bias. I used to be a registered card carrying Liberal (who always read the Globe). I've broadened my spectrum, maybe news agencies should do the same..
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It is not uncommon for Questions to be asked and reasked several times in a pretaped interview.The tape is then edited and broadcast.If anyone out thinks this does not happen to others you also believe in th tooth fairy.Do you think this has never happened in Harper interviews with the french press.The difference here is the french press has respect and integrity not to try and make anyone look foolish.CTV your prejudice towards Mr.Dion have shone through clearer than ever.you are obviously trying your best to get Mr.Mean Spirited Harper elected.I hope (as many others here in quebec feel) that Mr.Harper gets a good slap in the face for trying to use this for political gains. As for CTV you have lost many viewers here.
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Cheap shot from both CTV and Mr Harper, the first for showing it all (is it good news ?), the later for capitalizing on the fumble. Being French speaking, I did find the formulation of the question somewhat puzzling; I needed to do some quick maths in order to understand the question (crossed multi-hypothetical situation), but I was not the one seated in the spotlight. I can easily imagine what the poor Mr Dion went trough. And understand this : I am far from supporting Mr Dion and his party. But the blow from your choice of showing it all, and the too quick reaction from Mr Harper was felt utterly condescending. The only fact that I would take time to comment on it shows how deep you touched a sensitive issue.
And no, I do not think a reversed situation would have been treated the same in the French media. You would not believe the weird sentences heard every day poorly spoken in French by so many Englsih speaking politians without recieving any comments from anyone. Maybe we should. Maybe I should start commenting about it...
Pardon my French...
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Shame on CTV. I have yet to see one comment on the fact that any of you at CTV agreed not to air it, yet you broke your promise. And then Mike Duffy, acting like an attack dog, decides to jump on to air it for attention. Way to go. If anyone is to blame Harper, CTV is just as much to blame. Craig, you are wrong.
This is not an issue of competence in the english language, and is a non-issue. If it was, why would Jack Layton dismiss it as such? Or perhaps Gilles Duceppe? And then please, what about the rest of the media outlet (National Post, Macleans, etc) who commented on the unethical act on the part of CTV? It seems to me that all you are trying to do is defend something that shouldnt have happened on the part of CTV. Also, why hasn't anyone wrote in their CTV article about the fact that Dion also later criticized CTV? He didnt only criticize Harper. That displays some serious bias in your media and shows that none at CTV are sadly committed to presenting the news objectively. There should be an apology on your behalf. Shame.
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| Dan K. St. Catharines, On. |
Dion seems to have bumbled his way through this entire campaign. Sort of like being thrown into the fire and expected to extinguish it with nothing but his bare hands. Sort of left standing in a daze. Whether it seemed mean on Harpers part or not, when it hits the fan you either rise to the occasion, or wind up with it all over yourself. Dion doesn't seem like someone who works well under pressure, but then again, sometimes Harper acts too cool about certain issues. I'm still not sure who to vote for....I just hope the next group in power finally gets it act together.
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I am so sick and tired of hearing all of these excuses for Dion. It doesn't matter whether he couldn't hear, can't speak English, or didn't understand. The point is, if he had been in another situation, such as a leaders summit, he would be incompetant. If he can't handle a simple conversation under pressure, he's not the man for the job.
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I'm sorry but I just do not believe the excuses. I believe Dion immediately and completely understood the question, and what he was trying to do was get it re-phrased so he could answer with his standard 30 day (non)plan statement. But the question wasn't that - he knew it wasn't, and he knew he had no answer. That's why he tried three times.
Dion loves to call Harper a 'liar'. A great majority of the sentences he speaks include the word "Harper", and most often in an extremely derogatory context. He uses every derogatory election trick known to mankind at every opportunity, yet somehow gets media credentials of being sincere and caring. He claims Harper's advertisements are low-blow negative advertising while his own commercials' dominating message is the demonisation of Harper.
IMO Stephane Dion is far from the angel of fairness he claims to be, and last night's example is a perfect illustration of that.
Oh, and by the way, have you noticed that he STILL has not answered the question?
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No one has the right to take this out on Mike Duffy. I am glad he showed it and Craig is right in that if this was Harper it would have been blasted from the tree tops for days. The issue is not one of language but one of not being able to answer the question. Harper is absolutely correct. For the past week or more Dion has been going on and on about things he obviously knew nothing about and has since been proven wrong. Instead of being a man and admitting he was wrong about Harper doing nothing and having no plan he kept on with that line. Only now he has added that Harper is mean and hurt his tiny feelings. Please!! The first time Dion did not understand the question but the other times he simply did not have an answer. His aide explained it to him. What troubles me it the question it raises. Do journalists prop up political candidates until they are picture perfect before airing interviews?If so that is scary. The second thing that really bugs me is Bob Rae carrying on about Harper making fun of a disability. If any of the media allow him to get away with this I would be horrified. Dion, himself, is on record as saying the hearing issue only comes into play in crowds..i.e cocktail parties.. but that he is fine one on one.
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(I'm a Conservative, so lets get that out of the way). I'm truly disappointed that CTV aired this piece regarding Mr. Dion. I feel it was unnecessary reporting, and not worthy of CTV's otherwise high standard of relating the news. (Which is what your duty is - report the news: don't MAKE the news!)
Lloyd Robertson - my go-to guy, must be very disappointed.
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Well I watched the tape and I don't think Dion had a problem understanding the question , he had a problem thinking up and answer. Afer all you can't blame Mr. Dion for this as he didn't have a teleprompter or speech writer there. Poor Mr. Dion always playing the sympathetic card. No sympathy from this neck of the woods. Your History.....
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I haven't seen the interview, and I'm not likely to.
However, I wonder if Dion would have asked for a restart if he knew CTV would air it. Traditionally, these sorts of bloopers are reserved for humorous reels after the show is over.
It was probably very important for Dion that he fully understand the question before formulating an answer, because so much is riding on how he comes across. I have the same type of hearing difficulty and find that I ask people to repeat themselves fairly often, but most often when clarification is most important.
But anyway, isn't it a little hypocritical of Harper to assault Dion on this issue when he is famous for not answering questions at all, or only allowing staged interviews.
I'm not sure if Dion was in a position to ask for a list of questions before the interview. Lots of people will not interview without such a script - and I would suggest that Harper is one of them, although I can't offer specific references.
This doesn't affect my vote, though. I've met Dion and I like him. Nothing I've seen or heard from Harper, especially lately, has ever endeared me to him.
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If Jack only understood finance,he would be a decent leader
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So.... can we expect to see any outtakes from a Harper interview anytime soon? Doubt it. What happened to the media being an impartial observer and reporter?
Shame Duffy. By airing this blooper you've lost a lot of credibility and respect.
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Shannon: Perfect response!
This has nothing to with the language, but indeed, if he is going to represent Canada on the world stage, he has to think on his feet, and answer questions without "starting again".
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Look, at least Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe showed some courage today to come and respond on behalf or Mr. Dion. Unlike Harper who has shown his true colours. If the interviewer would have been a little more clearer and concise on the question, h e would have gotten an answer. But then again CTV and Mike Duffy are out for laugh at Dion's expense.
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I live in Montreal, and I am bilingual. This man hopes to govern a nation. I think not. I am of the opinion, that if I could learn French ( my mother tongue is English) then this man should have learned a command of the English language, prior to running for the office of Prime Minister. His excuse, he's deaf, is a far reach. I watched the interview and I came away with him not being prepared for the question as he repeatedly asked "When was I Prime Minister? Today, 2 1/2 years ago. To me it meant he needed time to think. It answers the reason why he needs his cronies around to prop him up. Remember his first interview when Bob Rae, had to respond for him when asked a question by the media, he had no answer then either. Reminds me a little of Palin in the U.S, when Daddy McCain was by her side lol.
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Congratulations for honest and unbiased reporting on the part of ATV and CTV. The CBC and Global saw fit to run the storey as well. We here in Nova Scotia are so used to getting the Liberal biased view from The Chronicle Herald, it was like a breath of fresh air to hear honest unbised reporting. Dion is just not the man to represent the citizens of Canada both here and on the world stage.
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Why in the world would the Prime Minister wait to point out that Dion is not capable of simple communication prior to a Long Weekend? The Liberal "LEADER" screwed up not once but many times. It is a matter of credability and Dion never had it. I'm starting to wonder if there is a ventriloquist in the background when Dion speaks average english. The choice for Canadians is clear. The Conservatives need a majority to give Canadians credability on the world stage.
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Mike S Edmonton
Some say that CTV has a bias for Conservitives while others feel CBC has a bias for Liberals... why do people act so surprised or upset by this.
Mr Dion clearly had no idea how to answer the question which was clear, it is obvious he had no clue because he had no one telling him what to say.
Is this the guy we want running the country? A puppet?
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Oh you Liberals would you please stop drinking the Cool Aid. Next you will bring up the empathy question. In real hard economic times we must band together and cry. Well you certainly have a leader who can lead you in that respect. Get a grip we are all adults we should be able to take some heat.
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| Lorna and John Ferguson Kitchener Ontario |
Shame on you, CTV!
And shame on Steven Harper for conducting himself in this blatantly self-serving way. One of the few positive outcomes of the world financial meltdown has been the backlash that is coming to rest on Mr. Harper's shoulders. He clearly "doesn't get it" and is completely out of touch with the people of this great land.
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Let’s be honest here, the Liberals under Trudeau left the country in a huge deficit, the PC in the 80’s simply because of the economic situation of the day were unable to have surpluses without drasticily increasing taxes.
A chimp and a NDP could have balanced the budget and had a surplus simply due to the energy sector boom in the 90’s and do I say ALBERTA.
So let’s be honest here, the liberals would drive us into deficit, destroy the economy with the green shaft (do I see NEP in new wrapping)
Stephen Harper has done a great job, and is the only person to keep Canada in the black….
Tom.
Concerned Canadian
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The damage has been done for Stephane Dion way before this interview. English is the international language. Do we need a leader for our country who cannot comphrend both languages.This is a very scary situation. As for the BLOC, what are many Quebecers thinking , keeping Mr. Duceppe in Ottawa for 18 years. It's a real shame,wasting taxpayers money.
Mr. Harper is the best person to handle the economic situation.
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To Luc Beauchemin, Montréal
Agreed: I'm about as not fluent in French as you can get, to my shame actually, wish I did speak it far better.
Have a cousin who lives in the NDG and he tells me that Layton and Harper regularly makes errors in live situations and interviews.
I'd far rather judge Dion for his platform (Carbon Tax is a disaster waiting to ambush our economy in my humble opinion) than for his person.
Low blows happen in politics all the time, but this one reminds of the old saying: If you can't beat the message, or have none of your own, attack the messenger.
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CTV, ATV, Steve Murphy and Mike Duffy owe Stephane Dion a profound and unqualified apology.
This was the most reprehensible piece of journalism I have ever witnessed in any federal election.
Shame on you.
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I don't know whose decision it was to air Dion's "re-starts" on The Atlantic CTV news, but it shouldn't be taken lightly. It was either done on purpose to humiliate or it was bad judgment. Either way I can no longer watch Steve Murphy deliver the news. I'll be wondering what his angle is or is he going for tabloid style journalism. His Journalistic integrity is gone. Whether it was malicious intent or stupidity, the result is the same: News you CAN'T trust. I'll start watching again when Steve Murphy is gone.
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People, the bobblehead did go on to answer the question after 3 tries. His plan is to take 30 days to exam things. 30 DAYS!!! We are in crisis now. Thank god Harper is on the ball and taking care of things. Flarety seems to be rising to the ocassion as well. We need competent people in office.
Haper had his remarks all over the news the other night. All is fair in love and war so to SPEAK!!
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CTV must be commended for showing this interview,i am also surprised that CBC(pro Liberal)showed the story on the national last evening.To me the issue is two fold: does Mr.Dion understand English well enough to be the PM,his own omission was he did not understand the question.Secondly and more importantly he did not have an answer to the question when it was explained to him by someome else in the room.Its easy to repeat WE HAVE A PLAN but what is it other than to meet within 30 days,i guess for them to tell him what to do.What goes around comes around and there are still 3 days left to campaign
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Not a person here is understanding the REAL issue here.
THE LIBERAL EMPORER HAS NO CLOTHES.
HE HAS NO PLAN.
HE's as mean as he makes Harper out to be because if he cared he would have a plan for THE MAJOR ISSUE TODAY.
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CTV's only intent with this clip was to embarrass and humiliate Mr. Dion. This is hardly ethical or noteworthy journalism.
CTV owes Mr. Dion a public apology.
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One would think the Tories would have learned their lesson in 1993 about bashing people with language issues/disability. Shameful on CTV's part for airing the entire clip. This kind of stuff is just a low-blow cheap shot on Dion. As someone who has learned English as a second language, the question was phrased poorly, with the tenses in contradiction. This is just dirty politics.
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This is unbelievable - a man who is running for PM of our Country and wants a question posed to him 3 times - I saw the interview - and I would like to hear the news media today if that had of been Harper - Bob Rae got on tV and had a new conference on a speech Harper gave years ago, dion plagiarised a speech to an Environment Senant Conference, and it was played once - Bob Rae's change to be negative towards our PM was okay - because he is a liberal - it was run for at least a week - dion can't answer a question that is posed to him about running our Couuntry and the liberals are trying to say Harper is in the wrong!. come on - dion doesn't have a plan, he only has a 30 day plan of meetings should he be elected - that has been drilled into his head in speeches to react on his feet, he has no idea what to say. Can you picture that representing us at World meetings - and letting on he has a hearing problem and can't understand English!. Give your head a shake!
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This interview showed 2 things which i think is critical for any-one wanting to be Prime- Minister....Are you able to communicate effectively in both official languages of this country both domestically and internationally on the spur of the moment and Mr. Dion clearly demonstrated that he cannot. Most events, both locally and internationally, are not always staged and "edited" and we need to be absolutely sure that our leaders can express themselves clearly and succinctly. Secondly, the Prime Minister has to lead us through this most incredible difficult economic time, where things are changing by the day if not the hour. How can a plan that requires 30 days to formulate be effective in responding in a timely and effective manner to events today....When that plan comes it, it may be completely irrelevant. I cannot and will not risk the future of my children on some-one who cannot respond effectively to a simple question and treats this economic crisis like some bubble that will just wait till he comes up with a plan. The Conservatives have protected us thus far and are taking all the neccessary steps to protect us tomorrow and into the future. Vote Conservatives.
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The Canadian left (Liberals)have become some of the most biased people I have ever seen. If Harpers eye lid twitches its proof he's an evil genius. If however you spout left wing diatribes and drool its proof you're just a genius. Please people the meltdown in the U.S. is proof positive (if any more is needed) There is no free lunch. Further Canada can not single handedly solve the Global warming crisis or even make a dent in Global emissions. In the face of what may be one of the most significant economic adjustments in our time I'm just glad it looks increasingly likely (Thanks to Stephen Harper) that I'll at least be able to keep my job and feed my family.
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Only according to the CTV is damage done. I am voting NDP but I can't believe how CTV has favored the Cons. and has tried to hurt Mr. Dion.Capitalism will only survive with good social programs not Socialism. Harper's laisse faire attitude leads to the downfall of Capitalism as we have seen in the US. I think we are going to get it in a few months. Throw this bum out , he doesn't have a clue. He has already done enough damage by spending most of the money on protecting the Heroin trade and only cherry picks social programs that he thinks will get him votes with women while trying to downgrade EI, Medicare etc.
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Lets be completely honest here...if this situation was reversed, would the left wing be as upset...and how come this was the only question he couldn't hear...could it be that he hadn't rehearsed this answer with his handlers.
Mr. Dion had promised to run a positive campaign...he lied...the Liberal commercials are simply negative anti-Harper, drive by, partisan smears. Is this the high road that he promised? If I recall he had indicated that these smears were not in his DNA.
Now he indicates Harper is lacking class...well, Dion has spent the past (2) years critizing Harper...now, when asked what he would do...he had no answer.
It is easy to be a critic, but it takes leadership to provide direction and answers...and on this level...Mr. Dion has failed...and the excuses shoud stop.
He wants to be elected on a promise to develop a plan after he is elected...That is not leadership...Canadians deserve answers now....
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just can't get my head around this guy. It's ok for him to hurl personal insults calling S. Harper a "liar" but whines every time someone has issues with him. The Liberals, and especially Mr. Dion, don't and wouldn't have a clue as to how to handle this economic mess which happens to be a global crisis and not restricted to Canada. The problem we have in Canada is that the electorate generally has a short memory. Can anyone remember the last time a Liberal gov't kept it's campaign promises? I certainly remember Mr. Rae's handling of the last recession in Ontario, wasn't that fun!
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As Judge Judy would say, "Mr. Dion, the questions are going to get harder." Can you imagine what an embarrassment Mr. Dion would be on the world stage. It would be like sending a beer league team to the Stanley Cup final.
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Liberal supporters are an intriguing lot. Many whom I know were quick to pounce on and ridicule the performance of Sarah Palin in the Katie Couric interview. Of course, Palin isn't running here, but the point is that her gaffes, because she is a right wing politician, are fair game for liberals everywhere. Frankly, Palin is not fit to be Vice-President, but, using the events in parallel, neither is Stephane Dion fit to govern. Liberals can spin the CTV piece any way they wish, but it is there for all to see. There was nothing unfair about the question and Dion even got help from one of his staff at one point. He could have asked her for a clarification "en francais" if he wished. But he didn't. He bumbled and he bungled and he basically proved the perception of him that some have. As his well known Liberal colleague might say when viewing the video footage "the proof is the proof!"
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The whole point of the entire story should be about the media creating news. Mike Duffy makes assumptions and bold comments, not supported by news, but by his own opinion.
CTV, Mike Duffy and Steve Murphy should all rethink their place in society. Mike and Steve both played an interview that would not be played if it was Harper speaking French.
I hope Quebec punishes Harper. I also hope CTV viewers head over to CBC for some high quality journalism, instead of the Jerry Springer journalism of CTV.
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I am not Dion fan but Steve Murphy is an incompetent interviewer - always has been.
The question was nonsense - Steve is the only one dumb enough to understand it.
Having said that, Dion has been in politics long enough to know to that provide the answer you want regardless of the question.
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Renee stock,
Would that be like a communist country then. WILL THERE BE GUNS IN THE STREET. I thought these are all different parties with different ideas for the country.Are you saying they are all the same?Will you shoot all Conservative supporters then? I mean obviously we don't agree with you.What happens to us?
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The purpose of showing the interview? Oh my gosh, how about ... so people can see for themselves who they are voting for?
Thank you CTV for simply sticking to the facts. Imagine allowing people to make up their own minds with no media spin? A lot more than I can say of other national media.
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Ask it again. Dion has had 24 hours to come up with an answer. Not 30 days. If the economy is a wreck will he still pursue the green Shift or only phase in the tax part and leave the neutral part out of it? Better yet get Iggy or Rae to answer for him I'd prefer to see the team sink with the Leader or Leaders.
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It's funny to read comments from people who only speak English pooping on Mr Dion when they can't even spell their comments correctly in the only language they know. How many times have TV interviewers in Quebec ambushed Mr Harper this way when he stumbles in French? Pretty low stuff CTV.
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Mr. Dion has taken our Liberal party to the left alongside Jack Layton's NDP. I refuse to support this unwarranted swing to the socialists.
Where is my traditional middle of the road Liberal party gone to?
I am going to vote for Harper on Tuesday and hope the Liberals kick Dion out and come back again next round. This is crazy. The man can't even speak English to represent the 73% of us Canadians who speak English.
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@Mary Hines
"Can you picture that representing us at World meetings - and letting on he has a hearing problem and can't understand English!.Give your head a shake!"
Last time I heard a question like that was Kim Campbell's Conservatives asking us "Do you want this man (Jean Chrétien) for Prime Minister?"
The the answer was yes then and it's yes now. Oh, I am giving my head a shake: at how low you dirty Tories can sink.
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I think, every candidate for PM should have to pass the IQ test. That would eliminate some of the "want to be leaders" and stop the embarrassment.
I have been watching the election campaign closely and must admit, I have heard about Mr Dion's intelligence but I have not seen it yet.
I am sorry Mr Dion, a candidate for PM, should represent average, or above intellectual abilities.
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Sorry Mr. Oliver but I disagree with your opinion about Steve Murphy in this interview. I watched the interview and although requested to clarify 3 times I never got a sense from him as to whether he was asking about a scenario where Dion was just elected and trying to remedy the current situation or if Dion was supposedly the PM for the past mandate.
With the benefit of hindsight, if it was myself in the same seat as Dion, I would have given answers to both scenarios that crossed my mind even though the interviewer wasn't being clear in response to my request for clarification.
VERY UNPROFESSIONAL of CTV to go back on their word (same reason I won't vote Harper) to try and pander to ratings. Guess which station's news broadcasts (and which paid advertising) won't be reaching this viewer's household. I'll choose a more objective station.
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So much for tolerance from the Canadian population. For those of you who didn't hear the question, please do yourself a favour and do so, then you try to answer it.
I also vaguely recall that Steve was asked several questions about his platform several times during both the English and French debates. Funny he never came up with an answer either or couldn't HE answer the question? And THIS over TWO DAYS. Pity, Steve Harper not a leader.
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For all of you defending Dion, sorry, but that was an excellant question that Murphy posed to him. Dion has been running around the country screaming Harper is doing nothing about the economy.
The actual question asked was, Mr. Dion, if you were PM today, what would you have done that Stephen Harper has not done for the economy.
In other words, he wanted to know what action Dion would have already taken in regards to the economy if he was the current PM. I knew what the reporter was asking, as well as most Canadian's who have seen the video.
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What we have here is more whining from the Liberals. They are constantly complaining that other parties are doing mean things to them even though they are doing exactly the same things. They are like some kid on the playground complaining to the teacher that so and so is doing these mean things to him without mentioning that, of course, he is doing exactly the same things to them. The other night in talking to Lloyd Robertson, Dion complained that the other parties were misrepresenting what he has been saying. But the very next words out his mouth were misrepresenting something Harper has said and then something Layton has said. It's like the Liberals are saying it's okay if we do something but it is unfair if you do it back to us. Quit your whining. No one can play the dirty game of politics like the Liberals. That's what they mean by the Liberal brand. But if they are going to play the game they should quit whining when the other parties learn so well from them.
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Lets all go to Mr. Dion's pity party.
You can be sure if it had been Prime Minister Harper, Mr. Dion and his merry band would have had a field day.
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The main issue here is how in heavens name is Mr Dion going to represent Canada here and in meetings that take place all over the world where english is the norm?Canada would be the laughing stock of the world.I'm sticking with PM Harper,he is a leader that makes me proud to be a Canadian and won't make me feel ashamed,stupid or foolish on the world stage.
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Where were all these outraged citizens all through the campaign when Dion and Layton and May called Mr. Harper every rotten thing in the book! They have hurled insults at him right and left and all the while Prime Minister Harper continues to conduct himself in a professional and well-mannered way! He represents Canada well on the world stage and has the respect of other world leaders. Let's hope Canadians from all parts of the country sit around the Thanksgiving table this weekend and realize that Harper is the best person to lead Canada through good times and bad!
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I am a born and bred canadian whose only language is english and can understand Mr. Dion very well.
Yes he does have an accent but doesn't every one have one when they are not speaking in their mother tongue?
Maybe Craig should learn to LISTEN to others and not his SPECULATIONS!
Politics as "Entertainment Tonight" is driving people away!
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CTV is a disgrace for airing the pre-taped interview. I have a lot of respect for you Craig, but I am very ashamed of CTV for trying to make politics out of this. MIKE DUFFY LIVE has become a prop for the conservatives and I can't stand him. He has become extremely biased and rude. I was very happy a few days ago when Elizabeth May gave it to him on air. You can be sure that he will very soon be cut to size (Excuse the pun). JUST SHAMEFUL!!! You guys have a lot to learn from Peter Mansbridge.
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Mr Oliver, not just yourself but CTV as well owe Mr. Dion a public apology. I cannot fathom, how a large organization such as yourselves would have not just aired this segment and that of Mr. Harper's reaction, but now also yourself writing about it. You have completely discredited yourselves. With CBC having a french affiliate, they know better. My tendency as well as other bloggers and the public will decide how credible your station is when your ratings diminish. You are not the only national broadcast station and I am sure,the CRTC is aware of this event.
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The Liberlas have run a botched campaign at best, with the Tories and NDP hardly having to put in a day's work. However, despite the obvious incompetence and failings of Dion, the knife-throwing by Liberal insiders and the outright lack of a logical political platform for problematic times, there is still over 30% percent of Canadians that are still willing to vote Liberal, and risk financial disaster by giving the Libs way too much power.
In this day and age, and based on the past scandal, corruption and arrogance of past Liberal regimes, how can it be that any right-thinking, sensible Canadian citizen could still even consider voting Liberal in any part of this country?
Either the polling data is incorrect, or over 30 % percent of Canadians have mental health issues.
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PM Harper is not "mean". He's justified in saying that Dion has no plans on the economy because the man couldn't come up with a proper response to the interview question. It's not as if the PM is making fun of Dion's apparent hearing disability or his bad command of English. In any job interwiew if an applicant repeatedly asks for the interviewer's clarification, he would have no chance in getting the job, not to mention the fact that Dion is applying for the position of PM!
As for being mean, I'll tell you what's mean - repeatedly making personal attacks such as calling someone a "liar", "fraud" and making cheap "sweater jokes". Now that's what I call class-less.
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| Liberals need to be more centrist |
Why is it Liberal supporters have no problem bashing and demonizing our Prime Minister and showing disrespect for him for 6 weeks yet when their leader is clearly shown to be a blundering incompetent they cry foul to all who will listen?
Traditional Liberal friends of mine say they hate Dion being there and some are voting Conservative so the party will get rid of him quickly.
We all know Dion is NOT the man to run our country in these difficult times. This election is NOT the same old same old elections of the past. The dirty tricks are the same but the consequences are MUCH different depending how the vote goes on Tuesday. We face the greatest economic and social challenge to our country's stability in this century probably.
Any thought of a socialist coalition with Dion involved will create anarchy in Canada at a time when we can least afford it.
Do you think the west will put up with a coalition of socialists?
No way.
It will brake up Canada
faster than the Bloc.
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Very, very disappointed in CTV for this. You lied!
I'd also like to point out to Harper supporters that Harper doesn't have, never HAS had, the courage to accept un- vetted questions from anyone.
Any question ever posed to to Harper has had to clear several levels of scrutiny before it's even considered valid. Then it's all spin...or imported from another country.
Steve Harper is not a leader.
Neither is the CTV
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| Francis Richard & the gang |
We are disappointed that CTV has decided to show that segment of Mr Dion not understanding the question.Talk radio show in the Maritime,mostly said that you should not have shown it.
It happens all the time,and is not shown. Shame on you. You have lost me and more people by not watching your tv station anymore.
Why should we? We've lost respect for your station.
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I think CTV showed a complete political bias in showing the clips to garner an 'event' that would bring them viewership (guess they got what they wanted). The question was clearly not only confusing, badly asked and illogical. You could see on Dion's face that he had problems making sense of it. For CTV to break their promise not to show the false starts (common practice) and to make a big story out of a bad interviewer's awkward handling of a twisted question is unconscionable. Shame on the CTV.
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During the first strike at the question, M Dion seemed to be having troubles with the word "Now", once it was replaced with "Today" he appeared to understand and started on his 30 +50 plan, but you could tell his thoughts were with wanting to start the interview again.
This is totally understandable.
The problem is he wanted to go into a 30 day study to correct the economy. This is the crucial part of the interview, hopefully these "Old Style" Studies have been put to rest for the most part as $$ wasting, non-productive exercises.
Lots of discussion can be done on the hearing, comprehension, leader capacity, but I feel his 30 day plan, while he accuses M Harper of sitting on his hands is absurd.
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Dion understood the question. He even rephrased it in his own words after the first failed attempt.
I would be perfectly willing to accept that everything up to that clarification point was because of his hearing or language difficulties. I experience that myself.
From the point of his read-back on... the failure is his own. The Panicking Puffin didn't have a response and there can be only two reasons:
1. He really doesn't have a clue. He's more of a one-shift pony than most thought.
2. The thought of 'Prime Minister Panicking Puffin' terrified him into incoherence.
Based on his performance as 'Opposition Leader' I'm tempted to go with number two... but I think the real answer is that he doesn't have a plan beyond the Green Shift.
Dion isn't ready for the big chair. Of course, based on his performance as 'Opposition Leader', he's not really ready for that position either.
On the night of Oct. 14-15 expect to see him resign. The compromise experiment is over.
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Shame on you all!! I am appalled that the media has played the clip of Mr. Dion over and over again in a not very subtle attempt to embarrass him. Stop the yellow journalism. You have insulted all people with an invisible disability, which,by the way, does not imply a lack of intelligence! It is you, the media, who look stupid here. Smarten up! I am ashamed of you all.
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All of you Dion bashers better be careful, your leader did call Dion a Prime Minister, not once, not twice, but thrice. If Steve endorses it you must obey. That is the order of your master.
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The time has come for all leader's to drop the hatchet and face reality...they are not focused on the real issues rather to trash each other in a not so popular fight for the leadership of all Canadian's best interests. It is getting to be a sad display of our future leaders that we as Canadian's are expected to pick one of them on October 14th.
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You could have asked DIon this question 10,000 times and the awnser would still have been the same. "Huh whats the question?" Why becuase he has no awnser. Trying to hide behind some perceived hearing defect is nothing but a bad attempt at covering up the fact that Dion has no idea what to do in the face of economic turmoil and would have done nothing different than Harper.
He should stop trying to say economist support him when they clearly don't.
Here's the facts
Dion heard every word, had no awnser and has no plan. End of story.
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One of the problems I see is that partisan politics has overtaken any form of decency between the leaders. Just look at the way they behave in the House of Commons. Perhaps things would change if they all showed a little more respect for each other. They are all guilty of this. Do you think adult supervision would help.
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To address Acroyear
It's not a matter of making grammatical mistakes while speaking in French or English. We do that in our own mother tongue. What is clear in the Dion interview is that after 10 years in politics he has done nothing to improve his English because he can't be bothered to work at it. Therefore he doesn't understand what people are saying, nor can he respond coherently. Never mind the hearing problem, lots of hearing impaired people are fluently bilingual. He said he had trouble hearing in crowds the last time he blew it. Well, this interview was a one on one, so what's the reason this time? We need a leader that can communicate. I want a dignified and serious PM who can speak for Canada on the world stage, not someone who gives good hugs and seems stressed all the time.
By the way Craig, I just heard you on Mike Duffy live endorse the Liberals. What's that about? Aren't journalists supposed to be impartial and not try to influence votes?
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| Katherine McNeil, River Philip, N.S. |
I think that the media can do great harm or great good by their "personal" opinions. I would rather have a LEADER who is perhaps not perfectly versed in either language than to have someone like Stephen Harper. I watched the national debate in English. I saw a prime Minister who made little eye contact, would not answer questions unless pushed to do so, who took every opportunity to attack the others rather than address significant issues and who appeared to have little to no idea of how ordianry citizens are trying to cope. He also came across as not giving a rat's ass. Just so you know where I'm coming from, for years I assessed people for custody and access purposesin the Supreme Court, so I know what I'm talking about.
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No matter what your political stripe, Steve Murphy's interview and it's viewing of all "takes" smacked of unfairness.Isn't it the jounalist's job to clarify the question i.e.reword it to make it understood.The wording was slightly confusing for anyone listening.What a smug attitude on behalf of CTV and Steve Murphy.In the long run it may very negatively affect Stephane Dion,but no more than it has the reputation of this station and this "wannabe"journalist.(Steve Murphy just said it was obvious that S.D. didn't understand the question.What is the job of a journalist anyway?Let's see all retakes of Steve Murphy's interviews-I don't think so.)
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The ATV reporter's question was worded awkwardly. Perhaps it's the CTV reporter who needs to work on his English skills.
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Bottom line here Craig your network "A" stated they wouldn't use the "stop and start" footage. Clearly Mr. Dion was having problems with the question in english, which in itself was an incredible butcher of proper english!!! Hard to continue to trust the integrity of CTV when such low rent tactics were played out. Shame Craig shame. Harper? He's so desperate now he'd be more than happy to absorb such a gaff provided by your people.
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I certainly didn't get the impression that Mr Harper was questioning Mr.Dion's English. He was simply saying that Dion didn't have an answer as to a plan even after having the question repeated 3 times, and that is clearly the case. What kind of plan takes place 30 days after an election????
Typical Liberal spin!!! If you don't know anything, make something up ( hearing problem, didn't understand, etc,etc) . It is a shame that Mr Harpers words are usually taken out of context, and spun into something "evil" or " uncanadian".
Given the current situation, Canadians had better take a very close look at who would make a better PM and a better leader for our economy. I shudder to think what it would be like with either Dion/Rae/Ignatief(what a team!!!)or Jack Layton. Actually they are all starting to look like one and the same!!!.
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Okay enough, it's been a day answer the question. Dion if you were prime minister what would you do about the econmy right now?
Please don't hide behind the team we are asking the leader not the support staff.
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For all the people on this thread bashing CTV I have a question:
Do you even know what the role of the media is?
Perhaps you should stick with 'the other channel' to get your ears tickled.
I think some don't even know the difference between paid
political ads and news.Scary that you think a person who wants to be Prime Minister should have special treatment.
If you don't like freedom of the press move out.You'll love the dictatorships abroad.
Here's a summary of the way MSM should operate:"We report, you decide"
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If the war rooms of all the electoral parties can dig up indiscretions, inexperience, ignorance and mistakes made from 5 years ago from all the candidates that may or may not be relevant, to air on television, shouldn't we be able to see something that may or may not be of relevance from just yesterday? Especially from a man that wishes to lead our country and not just be a back-bencher!
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Don't you Libs get it. The issue is the answer. I don't care if he was speaking in Spanish. It was a simple question unanswered period. Ask it again and you'll probably get the same answer 9 times out of 10 with a 3% error.
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I forgot to mention. Anyone thinking that CTV humiliated Mr. Dion and that CTV owes him an apology is sadly mistaken.
Mr. Dion humiliated himself by being unprepared..................
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The media has been covering for this man's poor English for most of the campaign.
It's about time the free ride was over.
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I can not think of one good reason why CTV should not air this interview!
The question was clear and succinct, and one the Canadian electorate wants to hear answered.
We have heard much criticism from Mr. Dion about Mr. Harper's handling of the current economic problem. Here was his chance to offer a solution. It would appear he does not have one.
It seems to me the government has a pretty good handle on the economy.
Up to this point I've been undecided. Not any more! Mr Harper isn't " mean" rather his actions have meaning.
Besides, I don't have to have the warm fuzzies about my leaders. I want them to act, and communicate!
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Thank you CTV for showing courage in the pursuit of honesty, in displaying the truth about Mr. Dion in all his ineptness, for the voting public to see. As Canadians, we want our leader to be of a world-class calibre, and Mr. Dion, is certainly NOT that person. For those angry at CTV for showing Canadians the truth...don't shoot the messenger.
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I'm sure everyone has been in the same position that Dion was in, in that you just misunderstand what someone is saying for whatever reason. I'm pretty sure we would know by now if Dion's english was really that bad. It was a simple quesion. My question is, if he's really that unprepared and can't understand English, then why is it only now we are seeing him screw up? I think by now we would have seen him slip up.
Plan and simple- he misunderstood the question. Why is this such a big deal?
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Mr. Dion has obvious problems communicating in English, although he has been improving somewhat in the last weeks of the campaign. I think that Dion is using his language/hearing challenges as an excuse for not really knowing the answer to the question.
I think it is clear that Mr. Dion has a weak understanding of what it is that Mr. Harper has done economically and he is actually the one with no plan. He still has not explained what he would do differently and I think that Mr. Dion has been a shameless fear monger using the current WORLD economic problems as a political opportunity to disparage and spread falsehoods regarding Mr. Harper’s ability to manage the economy. When the Canadian Banking system is recently being classed as the best in the world right now, Dion has not retracted any of his fear mongering or personal attacks on Mr. Harper.
Our Prime Minister has taken weeks of abuse at the hands of the Liberals and the other opposition parties. If Mr. Harper is calm, he is labeled as ‘cold and unfeeling’. If Mr. Harper becomes passionate or frank he is labeled ‘mean or scary’. We Canadians would not accept or expect Mr. Harper to conduct such a completely inept and unprofessional interview, so why does Mr. Dion think that Canadians should lower their expectations for him? Harper is right, there are no ‘do overs’ when you are Prime Minister.
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I cannot believe that Canadians are so gullible. Dion is going for the highest office in Canada and he has no plan. He has said this over and over, that he will discuss this for 30 days. The crisis is now. The interview is a non starter other then clarifying he has no definite position. You call this leadership.
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What worries me was the deal to not air these retakes, between CTV and the Liberals.
If these interviews are really being 'edited', then there is no value.
So I finally applaud the decision to air it. I'm sure some of the other networks would not have thought twice if it were a Harper interview.
So, Mr. Dion, you want to be prime minister, right? You have constantly criticized Harper on his economic policies. You have hindsight on your side...what could you have done to stop a global market meltdown?
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When are people going to figure out that this is not American Idol?
This election is not about Dion's English. It's about an economy which is in the toilet, it is about the fact that tax cuts robbed us of the savings we need to help Canadians at this time, it is about the fact that if we follow Harper's lead on the environment, there won't be enough money in the world to buy fresh air and water by the time it's done, it's about developing a Canada that recognizes that people are its greatest resource.
Stop letting Harper distract you from the real issues!
I would much rather have a genuine prime minister whose English is not perfect, than one whose behaviour is more like a smarmy teenager.
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I have watched that interview, and do not fault Mr. Dion in any way. The question was misleading in its use of the past and present tense.
The question was "If you were PM today, what would you have done...". Mr. Dion wanted to clarify the meaning, because the question asks him to hypothetically be PM today, and then asking what he would have done in the past.
At one point during the clarification, the interviewer says "and had been for the past 2 years", but it was mumbled and almost inaudible over Mr. Dion's voice. The repeated clarification by the interviewers after this didn't address this point again.
I charge anybody to watch the video and not conclude that the question was awkwardly worded.
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Harper is a mean spirited person who cannot be trusted and just ask Danny Williams. Mr. Murphy gave the impression he would not be airing the segment prior to Mr. Dion requesting to start the interview again however somebody felt that by playing the entire discussion would help the Conservatives. However, it appears Mr. Dion handled the situation in a gentlemans fashion and Harper attempted to ridicule Dion and now will pay the consequences. Maybe the CTV should be admonished for their handling and Mr. Oliver is the acting spinman of damage control.
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Unfortunately I didn't hear the interview but comments of various and sundry bloggers seem to indicate that he couldn't answer the question.I must admit I'm not surprised because I believe Dion is very poorly equiped to lead this country through the economic crisis or anything else. Both Layton and Dion have been shamefully using the economic situation to score political points at the expense of fearful voters. Neither of these individuals are fit to lead Canada. They both lack any sort of moral underpinings and only thirst for power. Why would anyone pass on Stephen Harper in a time of difficulty to vote for these two political opportunists. Shame on both Layton and Dion for a. trying to blame Harper for what is clearly a worldwide financial institution/credit availability problem b. using the difficult situation to frighten voters. Stephen Harper has proven to be a steady, prudent hand at the tiller. Layton is a sleight of hand card trickster who promises to give Canadians all sorts of money at the expense of businesses who provide the jobs Canadians need. Dion is a college professor clearly out of his league in politics. My only hope is that a Liberal victory or an NDP/Liberal coalition will rekindle the fires of Alberta
separatism. Afterall what the heck has the rest of Canada ever done for Alberta except take our money for tax cuts in Quebec.
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Note to Mr Dion and the rest of the Liberal team. If you can't take it, then don't dish it out.
You hypocritical bleating about low blows and cheap shots ifspathetic. Liberals wrote the book on cheap shots, that is well estasblished. Go bitch to the media, they started it.
Next time have a plan of your own, then you won't look like a hypocritical idiot when you blame your opponent for not having answers for which you have no clue, the question or the answer.
Anyway, Dion was dead when he insisted on immediate green shift implementation, no matter the state of public finances or the economy. That guaranteed him a loss in this election.
This gaffe will simply cost him 5-10 seats, maybe.
Who cares, we are close enough to the election to wait out the result; no further speculation is necessary.
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I am not an admirer of M.Dion and in fact I have always supported Harper and still happily do. However, in watching the interview I too was confused by Murphy's changing tense. Like Dion, I would have asked in response to the hypothetical scenario "when did I take office as PM? 2 years ago? 2 months ago or 2 minutes ago? Murphy used the past tense. What would you have done, etc.
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To Chris Pidzamecky;
The economy will always trump the environment.
Having a stable economy, controlling inflation are the two most important aspects of any government.
Without a home and food on the table, nobody cares of the environment, not even a "union" worker.
Dion's green shift plan may have merit in a time of economis stability, but the jury is still out on the cost.
If you had to choose between a home or your contribution to fighting global warming, what will it be Chris ??
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The damage done to CTV choosing to air the outtakes is worse than the damage done to Dion///
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Mr. Dion and his party can sure dish out the insults (personal and otherwise) but when it comes to Mr. Dion blundering through a simple question, all of a sudden he's a victim.
What do you want -a victim or a leader? In the 2006 election Stephen Harper was villified and his only comment: "I can take a punch".
Just before the debates Mr. Dryden launched one of the most personal attacks against Mr. Harper I have ever witnessed and yet there was no criticism of Dryden.
Craig is right - at this point in our evolution as a country - the leader had bloody well better be able speak, comprehend and converse easily in both official languages or go home
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For those who cry, "Shame on Harper!" Did you even see the clip?
With multiple false starts, and with Mr. Dion actually rephrased the question correctly in between, it is hard to believe this is a matter of comprehension.
It is not even an issue of language. It is a PM-wannabe who has no answer to a question repeated so many times.
And the outcry is hypocritical, because if the reverse had happened to PM Harper, none of you would be defending him.
So for the longest time, CBC is so pro-Liberal and none of you squawked. Now it's CTV's fault because they are perceived to be pro-Conservative?
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Low blow Harper! You had widen the English-and-French-divide!
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Why was this footage aired? Many an English-speaking political leader has failed to grasp fully a question or comment made in French. This includes Stephen Harper. In a country such as Canada, we don't shoot down people for their shortcomings in the other official language. At least, I didn't think we did that anymore. If we are to go back to the old days when French-Canadians were considered less intelligent than their English counterparts because their English wasn't perfect, then this country is not for French-speaking people like me. Maybe Québec should separate after all.
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So what! Mr. Dion had a weak moment where he struggles to comprehend an English question. The same can be said to English speaking ministers whose French is not their first language. This faux pas does not mean that Mr. Dion lack intelligence or he lack the ability to be our next leader. There are more important things that we should be focusing on such as the economy, jobs etc. I am appalled by Mr. Harper’s attention to this matter. It is a shame to see our political leaders stoop so low to something so common among people whose English is not their first language. Why should Mr. Dion be any different? Mr. Dion should not be ashamed of his English.
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P.S.you have lost a viewer forever!!
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