Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Our winner...

The winner of Canada's Silliest Scandal is...



My vote would still be for Joe Clark's lost luggage, but if you consider this photo may have ended Stanfield's career, it's probably a worthy winner.

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posted by calgarygrit at 8:07 a.m.

6 Comments:

  • Pretty good choice, it involves a lost election, a respected couldabeen-PM, and partisan media... so it's got all the right sexy elements. This story could be a movie.

    By Blogger Ashley_Wilkes-Booth, at 10:32 a.m.  

  • Ironic little error in the photo caption. It was 1974, not 1973. (If the election had been held in 1973, Stanfield would likely have won against Liberals who weren't ready and seriously doubted their leader.)

    By Blogger Private Citizen, at 1:19 p.m.  

  • I don't think the photo was as important as some suggest (Stanfield probably would have lost in 1974 anyway), but I do think that Trudeau's luck had a major impact on Canadian history.

    In 1972 a swing of 1 seat would have made the Liberals and Tories tied.

    If he had barely won in 1979 (he did win more votes than Clark) his government probably wouldn't have lasted long, and he would likely have been turfed as leader.

    In 1980, had the Socreds not voted for their own decimation, Clark would have stayed in power, and the Liberal leadership race would have continued without Trudeau as a candidate.

    Moreover, the most important parts of the Trudeau legacy (the charter, the 1980 referendum, mega-deficits and the national energy program) were in his last term, so a different outcome in either of the above flashpoints might have made Canada a different place today.

    By Blogger french wedding cat, at 3:50 p.m.  

  • Quick, someone photoshop that image so it looks like he crapped the football!

    By Blogger Robert Vollman, at 6:04 p.m.  

  • Moreover, the most important parts of the Trudeau legacy (the charter, the 1980 referendum, mega-deficits and the national energy program) were in his last term, so a different outcome in either of the above flashpoints might have made Canada a different place today.

    Wow.

    No 1980 referendum might mean no Bloc Quebecois.
    No NEP might mean Liberal governments and MPs in Alberta, and no Reform/Alliance/Conservative Party.
    No mega-deficit might mean debt, lower taxes, and properly funded social programs.

    Quick, who has a time machine?

    By Blogger Robert Vollman, at 6:08 p.m.  

  • ugly old man.

    By Anonymous tuxedo shirts, at 7:24 a.m.  

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