[Section 15] Conservative Party libels on its website

The Conservative Party, which is funding Harper's libel chill lawsuit against the Liberal Party of Canada, has put out a press release pushing some blatant lies.

I'll address one here. (For another, Garth Turner takes care of the slur against him. And again.)

Here's an excerpt from a speech by Elizabeth May delivered in Sao Paulo recently, which the Conservatives picked on:

...climate impacts have real impacts on global security. The US Department of Defence (the Pentagon) actually did a study researching a "plausible scenario for abrupt climate change." Its conclusions appeared in Fortune magazine in early 2004. They chose to study the stalling of the Gulf Steam in 2010.

The study concluded that the impact of that, with colder temperatures in Europe, changing rainfall patterns, causing increased drought, food insecurity, increased numbers of environmental refugees, would constitute a great threat to global security than terrorism.

What has been the response of governments to this threat? I am ashamed to admit the Canadian government is now the worst in the world. The Stephen Harper government has repudiated our legally binding Kyoto targets and is working to increase Greenhouse gases from the Athabasca tar sands.

And the Conservative's take on May's bolded statement? From their press release

Then there was Mr. Dion's deputy leader and 'Red-Green' alliance partner Elizabeth May. Already on the hot seat for labeling those who disagree with her as being worse than Nazi appeasers, Ms. May went even further and told an international audience that:

"I am ashamed to admit the Canadian government is now the worst in the world" (The Toronto Star, May 8, 2008)

Ms. May's comments not only disrespect her own country, they also show a shocking ignorance of the deplorable human rights situations faced by other people around the world.

Obviously, the CPC is deliberately misrepresentating May's comments.

You would hope that they've at least keep their lying on topic.

This is very brave behaviour from a party which is suing the LPC for reprinting the contents of Hansard.

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Posted By Mark Francis to Section 15 at 5/16/2008 01:04:00 PM