Canada: PM's top aide stepping down (just ahead of the release of areport into "NAFTA-gate,"

May 21, 2008 11:53 PM
Bruce Campion-Smith
Staff Reporters
Richard Brennan
Robert Benzie

PM's top aide stepping down

Ian Brodie, chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper,

OTTAWA–Prime Minister Stephen Harper's trusted lieutenant, Ian Brodie, is leaving his post, just days before publication of a report into a diplomatic incident that undermined U.S. Senator Barack Obama's presidential bid.

Brodie will be replaced in July by Guy Giorno, who served as chief of staff to former Ontario premier Mike Harris, effective July 1, the Star has confirmed.

Brodie was said to have wanted to return to teaching at the University of Western Ontario. But the decision comes just ahead of the release of an investigative report into "NAFTA-gate," the leak of sensitive diplomatic information that made headlines on both sides of the border, embarrassed Harper and his government and possibly undercut Canada's dealings with the future president.

Brodie's offhand comments to journalists in Ottawa were singled out as sparking the chain of events that put Obama on the defensive on the eve of the March 4 Ohio primary, after suggestions from Canadian sources that his campaign concerns about the NAFTA trade deal weren't real.

While Giorno did not respond to inquiries from the Star Wednesday night, friends and former associates confirmed he has accepted the prestigious post as Harper's chief of staff.

Harper did not mask his unhappiness that his government had sparked the embarrassing diplomatic episode.

"This kind of leaking of information is completely unacceptable. In fact, it may well be illegal," Harper told the House of Commons.

"It is not useful, it is not in the interests of the government of Canada - and the way the leak was executed was blatantly unfair to Senator Obama and his campaign."

Kevin Lynch, the clerk of the Privy Council, was overseeing the internal probe, that had been farmed out to a private investigative firm.

Lynch said the probe would look at the "unauthorized verbal disclosure" as well as the leak of a Canadian memo about the Illinois senator's views on NAFTA.

"I can assure you that the investigation is being conducted in a thorough and comprehensive manner, and that all necessary resources are being put at its disposal," Lynch wrote in March.

The report into that incident is now expected to be released either late this week or early next week.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/428564|Link>

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Feel free to insult Harper.

no proof. But it was just too handy at JUST the right moment.

accountability. We make sure they are.

the leaks (plural) were deliberate and blatantly misleading in order to harm Obama at a very crucial period.

and we're as pissed off as you're.

:hi:

interesting info.

and yes, it was a disgusting incident. One of many involving Hillary Clinton's lies.

and maybe you know one of the math wizards here
hillary has been making the popular vote claim
is it possible to find out if she is including her caucus state numbers while excluding obamas caucus state numbers?
i just dont see her not lying about it because shes lied every other chance she has but im not sure where to find the numbers if you know someone who is a math tracker here can you forward them this question?

because apparently they don't do a popular vote count in a caucus. I guess they could theoretically count the number of people caucusing, but I don't think that would be exactly fair either.

shes cherry picking votes
keeping her caucus totals and tossing his out
there is no "popular"vote total but the caucus totals are known numbers

include Puerto Rico too, as more legitimate than caucus states, even though they don't even get a vote in the GE. Whatever validates her poor argument. Luckily, the SD's deciding this see through the bad logic.

I can see the bumper sticker now. :hi:

She offends me.

I don't want to talk about her anymore.

She has exhausted any good will that I had.

I hope you will be following up with whatever info the eventually release.

It would be very interesting to know what might have been different if that whole episode had not happened.

is that it keeps Little Stevie Wonderbush from doing to your country what Chimpy has done to ours.

Not that he wouldn't do so, if he had the chance..........

They know that partisanship is quite limited in Canada. A scandal involving mismanagement of few million dollars (Million not Billion) got the Canadians to vote conservative after years of the liberal party reign.

They fuck up, they’re out. Otherwise if you keep voting for them you give the permission to continue their corruption. I’m liberal, and I, and my wife voted conservative when this happened for the first time.

Obama never uttered those words.

Harper is a tool.

taking the fall.

Thanks for posting.

before the truth puts its shoes on