Scott Brison is quite an interview. Many of the interviews I’ve done have had challenges. Try getting stimulating wit out of Norm Ullman.
Scott has now won 5 Federal elections. That says something about the relationship he has with the voters. His commitment to his constituents, and their chief business of Agriculture speaks volumes.
If you go on his website he has a section for local producers of foods and wine in the area and he himself told me that he has over 70 apple trees on his property including 20 of my favorite variety, the Honey Crisp.
In between flights we caught up on a lot of ground; from the hoopla he felt should never have been created for sending out a family Christmas card to issues and challenges facing farmers, the environment and of course Canadian Federal Politics re: Michael Ignatieff and Stephen Harper.
The Christmas card; or as Scott put it “Tempest in a teapot” He felt that it’d be wrong to cut off comments on sites like
this and that certain socially limited people in the blogosphere need to have the capacity to communicate in real life.
(Scott pictured with his husband Maxime and Simba the Golden Retreiver)
He also said that you just can’t ignore issues like this, but in this day and age it should never be a story, that Canadians are a proud and socially progressive people, and that the Canadian Charter of Rights have added to our natural pride and identities.
Scott’s riding of Kings-Hants Nova Scotia is a huge agri-zone with over four times the production of PEI, and the largest agricultural riding east of Quebec. He takes that business seriously and devotes a lot of energy to the needs of farmers and the dairy,poultry and horticultural industry.
The “Foodie” movement as he called it has created a lot of interest in high quality locally grown foods as it has in our own area. In his riding he was telling me that it seems that there are a few new vineyards and wineries opening each season as it’s becoming a growth industry too. He felt that as MP he had an informal role to play in helping people think about local food and producers.
Scott started with the Progressive-Conservative party for whom he won two elections. When the PC’s amalgamated with the Reform/Alliance team which is what Stephen Harper came from he told me he felt that if he had to decide to join a new party he’d choose one that was more Progressive than Conservative and crossed the line to sit with the Paul Martin Liberal government for whom he became a cabinet Minister and since has been re-elected as a Liberal three times.
Seaway International Bridge Crisis: He said any thickening of the border crossing impacts both Canadian and American jobs. People and goods need to move seamlessly through any border crossing and that the government needed to show more leadership and engage directly to resolve the issues.
Scott was bewildered at how it took Stephen Harper twelve months to assess the economic crisis and then while other countries were pulling together used the recession to create local and constitutional crises as well as put the boots to opposition parties.
In the five parliaments that he’s served in that this was the most “sulphuric” and “toxified” one he’s ever experienced.
On Michael Ignatieff: He felt that the biggest attack by Stephen Harper on Michael Ignatieff was the attack of being too
“International” which is Mr. Harper’s biggest weakness. Scott pointed out recent trips where Mr. Harper was dressed down by the Chinese PM. He thought Mr. Harper should be apologizing to the Canadian people for embarrassing them in Copenhagen where Canada has gone from being a world leader in Climate change to a “laggard”.
That our privileged reputation with China has been sullied, and he pointed out that it was Pierre Trudeau as one of the first Western leaders to visit China and establish relations. He suggested that it was in fact Mr. Ignatieff who was better positioned to lead Canada into growth relationships with both emerging financial giants, India and China, as well as be a leader in Green technologies.
For more on Scott Brison visit his website.
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I have to say there so many hypocrites in Canada.. the major media deleted the bloggers personal comment about a Gay Mp.. sp much for free speech in Canada.. Gays want acceptance, but they and the news editors, news media do not allow free speech? Such hypocrisy
In accordance with my rights of free speech too … Anyone who has read my blogs I rightfully still do not give an unconditional support for Israel’s past, present, future actions or reactions and I am not an anti Semite and you can tell that to Prime Minister Stephen Harper now too
There is free speech and you can practice it here. If its something productive, you will find that it will be posted here. However, if there is hate speech involved, no, it doesn’t have to be allowed to be posted.
But you will find whereas other papers and online media agencies go and block commentary, you will not find that here.
I do not agree with how Israel conducted/conducts itself either, and that does not make me an anti-Semite either, as according to Harper. You have to remember, the Conservatives are a well oiled propaganda machine that will point fingers and use anything to try to discredit their opposition. It only makes them come off weak as far as I am concerned. Harper’s and their day will come. It’s all Karma.
Not sure how well oiled they are grimalot. To me if you see the propaganda then you’re an amateur or have a severely overblown ego…..
Oxford Dictionary says an anti-Semite is a person hostile to or prejudiced against Jews.
Websters Third says antisemitism is hostility towards Jews as a religious or racial minority group often accompanied by social, economic and political discrimination and/or sympathy with opponents to the state of Israel.
Read it thoroughly and see if you can see yourself or perhaps someone in the Fiberal party described therein. Mazeltov
Then that term must have been written by a Jewish person because it is so obviously biased its unreal. That’s basically a get away with anything you want without going to jail for free card. They could go to war with anyone and if anyone in the world says willy nilly about it, then they can be listed as an anti-Semite? That is so obtuse. Why doesn’t the US or Canada, or Britain, etc, have something like that written for them?
Because quite frankly, does it make me anti-US if I say that I don’t agree with them going into Vietnam or Afghanistan? Where’s the logic in that? Does it make me Anti-Canadian if I don’t agree with Canada being overseas fighting in Afghanistan? I mean come on, logic like that just doesn’t make sense.
I am not sympathizing with opponents of Israel, I just don’t agree with all the fighting going on over there. Regardless of what country it is or what nationality of people. And shame on Harper for playing on a technicality written in a dictionary like that.
It seems Mr. Harper would do and say anything to anyone for votes. That’s kinda refreshing in a used car kinda way; pretty desperate too.
He’s not desperate, he doesn’t have to be. Stephen Harper is the Canadian Newsmaker of the Year (for the second year in a row) in the annual survey of news organizations by the Canadian Press. Let’s face it….without Harper we’d be lost!