PM says kin were asked, O'Connor says not

Were the families of fallen Canadians consulted by Ottawa on banning the press from covering their return?
MICHAEL DEN TANDT and DAWN WALTON

OTTAWA, CALGARY -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper has contradicted Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor on whether the government consulted the families of four fallen Canadian soldiers before it banned the news media from covering their return home last month.

Corporal Matthew Dinning, Lieutenant William Turner, Bombardier Myles Mansell and Corporal Randy Payne were killed in a roadside bombing north of Kandahar in late April. Members of the news media were not allowed on CFB Trenton when their bodies were returned to Canada on April 25, and the government said at that time that the ban would apply to future repatriation ceremonies as well.

On Wednesday, Mr. Harper told CFPL-TV in an interview, when asked about the repatriation of the four soldiers: "The DND spoke to the families and not all the families were in agreement, and on that particular occasion on the arrival of the casket unless all the families want it open, it is a private time."

However, on the day the four coffins were brought back, Mr. O'Connor said the families were not consulted. "No they weren't consulted," he said then. "We're trying to, I'm trying to bring in a policy that covers all families for all events."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060526.FUNERALS26/TPStory

Terry Milewski as much as called him a liar the other day in B.C....Milewski said, "what you are saying is NOT TRUE" to Harper when referring to Harper's version of the kerfuffle with the Ottawa press corps...Harper is a liar and incapable of backing off something he has made his mind up about..IMO.

I heard the Milewski comment on the radio this morning...he's a good guy...one of the better CBC reporters...he gets nasty and outraged and most of the time for good reason.

Shows a terminal weakness for Harper--he's braggart and like most CTF type wonks I have ever dealt with, he's not above just making shit up in the heat of a discussion--especially if they are losing the argument.

What a punk--lying about something that could easily be verified...

Stuff like this is going to kill him more than the 'tough stand' tantrums...

Steverino isn't doing too well trying to keep his ministers muzzled, is he? And every time a contradictory remark happens, I can just imagine his blood pressure going up. Some day he'll blow a gasket in public.

Not surprising :(

But on the up side,
1) the lies are being exposed, and
2) the Harper gov't will be defeated in the next election.

Let's face it, they only got in because the populace chose to give the Liberal party a time out over the corruption scandals, and it is unlikely that this gov't will be elected a second time.

Especially if they continue to pull stupid stunts and get called on them.

Hopefully, they won't be able to do any irreparable damage to the country until the next election rolls around.