In the course of the 2004 General Election Conservative candidate Helena Guergis complained about our then Liberal Member of Parliament, Paul Bonwick, having a newsletter (also known as a householder) arrive on doorsteps after the election had been called.
Remarkably, Guergis has now engaged in conduct identical to that which she previously found so objectionable. In particular, this past week the residents of Simcoe-Grey received their own, rather large, four page householder courtesy of Guergis.
The literature makes multiple references to Guergis being an MP - something that is prohibited by Elections Canada rules for campaign literature - and contains no less than 17 photographs of our MP (out of a total of 20) with various people including the majority of mayors in our electoral district.
We should not be surprised by this behaviour. As previously referenced in this column, Guergis has a history of saying one thing but doing the opposite if it suits her purpose and/or advances her career.
When interviewed by the Herald about the promotional literature Guergis declared, "I've had it in the hopper probably about a month and a half now." She made similar claims in the course of the recent Rogers cable television debate when she blurted, "It was ready two weeks before the election call" and that it was not possible for her to "stop it."
These representations require scrutiny. The reason? Well, on the very first page of the householder Guergis states, "I recently (emphasis added) unveiled a historical plaque dedicated to the accomplishments of Sir Frederick Banting."
What's remarkable about this little tidbit is that the government did not announce there would be a plaque until Fri., Sept. 5, 2008. The election was called on Sun., Sept. 7, 2008.
How can literature that was ready two weeks before the election call be edited two days before the election call, but not stopped? Is it possible the government householder went to press after the election was called?
Sadly, this appears to be the latest example of Guergis' abandonment of previously stated positions/principles for the sake of personal gain. In particular, conduct that Guergis earlier criticized is now justified as entirely acceptable.
The Herald/Rogers comments, in the face of apparently contradictory evidence, demonstrate what happens when Guergis is required to go off script and think on her feet. It does not go well!.
Some in the national media have identified this and other problems and tagged Guergis as an embarrassment. For example, earlier this year MacLean's magazine writer Aaron Wherry authored a blog entitled, "Helena Guergis Irrelevancy Watch".
Indeed, whereas it is a rather simple matter to continually parrot party policy and read a prepared text, it is quite another to respond to unexpected questions in a lucid and coherent manner. One questions whether her inadequacies in this regard are the reason why she is has avoided some all-candidates debates and interviews with the media.
The pattern of avoidance has apparently extended into her employment. Last month Embassy magazine, Canada's respected and widely read foreign policy newsweekly, reported that, "Consular affairs has been an orphan of the government for the past months. The saga started when Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Helena Guergis abruptly and unilaterally announced to PMO (Prime Minister's Office) that she would no longer be handling consular files..."
Yikes! Are you kidding me? Who gets to bail out on some of the critical aspects of their job? It's like a Tim Horton's clerk announcing that he/she no longer intends to pour coffee or a Honda associate advising they will no longer work in the stamping department. It's not acceptable!
The first sign that Guergis was in over her head may have been apparent in 2004 when she was quoted as saying: "...there is not much difference between beauty pageants and politics because of all the public service and travel required."
Umm... will someone please tell Guergis that serving as a cabinet minister is, in fact, different from a beauty pageant? If it doesn't happen soon the rest of Canada, if not the world, is liable to conclude that the residents of Simcoe-Grey belong in a scene from the Beverly Hillbillies.
