April 19th, 2006

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Politics
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Most Ambiguous Sentence of the Week

Stephen Taylor quotes an email sent by Minister Hedy Fry, my representative in the House of Commons. It’s definitely a misuse of the parliamentary email system. Worse (though I know I shouldn’t throw stones), it’s an aberration of grammar:

From: Fry, Hedy - M.P.
Sent: April 18, 2006 2:33 PM
To: - LIBERAL ASSISTANTS; - LIBERAL MEMBERS/DEPUTES; - NDP MEMBERS/DEPUTES NPD; - NDP/NPD ASSISTANTS; - CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS/DEPUTES CONSERVATEURS; - CONSERVATIVE ASSISTANTS CONSERVATEURS

Subject: NWR - INVITATION TO MEMBERS/STAFF

Members and Staff are invited to attend the birthday party fundraiser for Alex Munter who is running for Mayor of Ottawa as he is almost 40!

Is it a fundraiser for a birthday party? Or does Mr. Munter need money? And is he, like, 37 years old?

Comments: 5 Responses so far

Anonymous
April 19th, 2006
3:36 pm

Let’s stop focusing on grammar mistakes and birthday parties, and begin solving the real problems such as crosses being burned in Prince George…

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Kirsten
April 19th, 2006
5:23 pm

I had no idea that it was a requirement to run for mayor of Ottawa when turning 40. Little known by-law, I suppose.

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Barb
April 19th, 2006
6:58 pm

This was a new staff member’s mistake that Fry didn’t even know about. They are asked all the time to disseminate information such as this, the staffer just wasn’t familiar as to content. They get hundreds of e-mails a day…she wouldn’t even pick a side in the recent Mayoral race in her own hometown of Vancouver, why then a race in Ontario!? The blogger Taylor is a Tory trying to create a distraction from Harper’s daycare/Kyoto/media gag order fiasco’s of late…
She had nothing to do with a simple mistake it seems…

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Darren
April 19th, 2006
7:23 pm

Thanks for this, Barb. Where are you getting this information from?

Assuming you’re correct, I don’t think this is a particularly major goof. That said, an MP is ultimately responsible for the gaffes their office makes, new staffer or not.

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Stephen Taylor
April 20th, 2006
2:46 am

The tone of my post certainly doesn’t outline this as major goof.

I’m more concerned about coming up with something interesting to blog about every couple of days than covering for the Conservative daycare agenda!

In fact, as a libertarian, I think that giving money to parents because they have kids is ’statism light’. But it sure beats creating a huge bureaucracy over childcare. Is the government responsible for raising your children?

It’s a question for debate, but I tend to prefer personal responsibility over the big ‘warm’ hug from the state.

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