Calling a hack a hack

The Ottawa Citizen starts off an editorial on First Nations issues by praising Con MP Rod Bruinooge for his supposed candour and honesty. But in the interest of furthering an open and honest discussion, let's take a look at just how far the Citizen has to stretch the facts to try to make the Cons look good.

Here's what the Citizen had to say about Bruinooge:

Conservative Manitoba MP Rod Bruinooge says that he's the kind of guy who calls a spade a spade. Judging by his comments about the Kelowna Accord, his penchant for candour is refreshing.

Mr. Bruinooge, in a scrum with reporters after his speech to the annual meeting of the Assembly of First Nations, called the Kelowna Accord an "expensive press release."

So just how candid was Bruinooge's message? Why, it's so honest and personal that it's taken word for word from his boss:

Fontaine was responding to a comment by parliamentary secretary Rod Bruinooge who, when asked by reporters why the government shelved the accord, said the arrangement was a mere public relations exercise by the Liberals before the last federal election. "The previous government made an election promise at the last hour," Bruinooge said. "This was later dubbed the Kelowna accord. ... There was no agreement. It was a press release."

The comments echo those made by Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Jim Prentice who recently referred to the accord as a "very expensive press release."

Needless to say, Deceivin' Stephen will be glad to know that at least one significant media outlet is so gullible as to accept Con talking points as "candour". But for those looking to evaluate the Citizen's credibility in assessing Bruinooge in particular and the issue of First Nations funding in general, the only available conclusion is that the Citizen isn't about to let the facts get in the way of its Con-friendly spin.