[The following email, which I’m posting verbatim complete with a little inter-office chatter at the top, went out from Stephen Lecce, a press person at the Prime Minister’s Office, to the office of the Parliamentary Press Gallery this afternoon, and thence to every journalist who is a member of the gallery. The occasion was the Liberal caucus gathering in Edmonton. Emails like this have long been common practice among many political parties when an opposing party is about to get news. Today’s offers one-stop shopping for every Conservative critique against the Liberal leader. – pw]

Hey guys: can you get this out?? Needs to move quickly, as a presser is about to start!

Thanks

Subject: RE: Conservatives to Trudeau: you don’t have the judgement to lead / Les Conservateurs à Trudeau : Vous n’avez pas le jugement requis pour diriger

Please send this version instead (corrected date).

Thanks,

David Bakker

Special Assistant

Chris Warkentin, MP

Conservatives to Trudeau: you don’t have the judgement to lead

19 August 2014

Chris Warkentin, Member of Parliament for Peace River and Jacques Gourde, Member of Parliament for Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, issued the following statement as Justin Trudeau’s “team” meet and rally in Edmonton today:

“Liberals will be meeting in Edmonton today to tout the strength of Justin Trudeau’s so-called “team”, as they prepare for the 2015 election.

“While Justin celebrates the breadth of his team, I think every-day Canadians would be appalled that Justin Trudeau is courting the pro-drug vote with the impending nomination of Jodie Emery, Canada’s foremost pot legalization advocate. Having visited Israel, I was shocked that Justin’s star candidate in Calgary Skyview, Darshan Kang participated in a radical anti-Israel rally that denounced the Middle’s East’s only democracy as “an apartheid state”.

“Just like his so-called “team”, Justin has led the pack by continuously demonstrating poor judgement. As Conservatives, we believe that increased accountability by First Nation chiefs will deliver more effective, transparent and accountable government. Yet, Justin Trudeau has pledged to repeal this legislation to protect the interests of elite chiefs, not average taxpayers.

“Justin has committed to repealing our Government’s mandatory prison sentences for the most violent crimes – including child sexual offenses and serious gun crimes. This is in addition to his steadfast defence of his visit to a radical Wahabi mosque that is alleged to recruit for Al-Qaeda. Yet again, Justin has decided to advance interests of violent criminals and extremists, over law-abiding Canadian families.

“Canadians remain concerned by the unstable global economy and they want Government to take action to protect their pocketbooks, jobs and children’s future. Justin Trudeau has admitted he doesn’t have any economic policies and thinks “the budget will balance itself”, while urging reckless spending that would kill jobs. Under Prime Minister Harper, we will continue to focus on the priorities of Canadian taxpayers – by keeping taxes low, balancing the budgets and building on our record of creating one million jobs.

“From the economy, to our security, to First Nations accountability and Canada’s role on the world stage – Justin Trudeau and his team have consistently demonstrated one truth: they lack the judgement to lead.”

– 30 –