The political sting operation — just the latest in a series of covert Tory efforts aimed at capturing verbal gaffes by Liberals — was launched at a Nov. 13 public meeting in Canmore, Alta., by a young Conservative who's been involved in at least one other similar plot.
She secretly recorded a conversation about the Harper government's plan to introduce income splitting with Banff-Airdrie Liberal candidate Marlo Raynolds and two other men.
The recording was subsequently given to Sun News Network personality Brian Lilley, who used it to bash Raynolds and the Liberals in a newspaper column and on his television show.
Raynolds, Lilley reported, had said the Tory tax break would give couples with children money for "arguably nothing" — money they'd spend on TVs, cars and other things that don't benefit the economy.
"It looks like another beer-and-popcorn moment," Lilley wrote in a Nov. 18 column, referring to a controversial comment made during the 2006 election campaign by then prime minister Paul Martin's communications director, Scott Reid.
Reid was pilloried for arguing that parents would spend the Conservatives' proposed $100 per month child care benefit on beer and popcorn, instead of child care.
Lilley's theme was immediately picked up by Conservative MPs in the House of Commons.
Blake Richards, the Conservative MP for Banff-Airdrie, denounced Raynolds for what he called "insulting and condescending" comments.
Two other Alberta MPs, Chris Warkentin and Kenney, the employment minister, also raised the matter in the Commons.
"That is an echo of the Liberals saying that parents would spend money on beer and popcorn," said Kenney, adding that Liberals think they "know how to spend money better than families."
Richards went further, sending out a fundraising email about the comments attributed to Raynolds, arguing that "arrogance like that is frightening" and asking for donations to help "keep Banff-Airdrie blue."
There's only one problem: another participant in the secretly recorded conversation has stepped forward to say it was he, not Raynolds, who actually made the offending remarks.
"I don't believe Marlo should have to take the flak for something I said," Canmore resident Tam McTavish told The Canadian Press.
McTavish, who says he voted Conservative in the last election and has never been a member of the Liberal party, last week wrote a comment on Richards' Facebook page, correcting the record.
Neither Richards, Kenney nor Lilley responded Monday to a request for comment.
Indeed, Raynolds said he was suspicious that the woman was up to something from the outset of the Canmore meeting, in part because he was sure he'd seen her at an earlier meeting in Airdrie — although he says she told him that was her look-alike cousin.
Raynolds said the Tory tactic is disheartening.
"People are tired of politicians acting like this, parties acting like this," he said in an interview.
"It's very un-Canadian. When did we lose that Canadian value of courtesy in our political discourse?"
more
Conservative trap to ensnare Liberal candidate ends up embarrassing Tories - Politics - CBC News
She secretly recorded a conversation about the Harper government's plan to introduce income splitting with Banff-Airdrie Liberal candidate Marlo Raynolds and two other men.
The recording was subsequently given to Sun News Network personality Brian Lilley, who used it to bash Raynolds and the Liberals in a newspaper column and on his television show.
Raynolds, Lilley reported, had said the Tory tax break would give couples with children money for "arguably nothing" — money they'd spend on TVs, cars and other things that don't benefit the economy.
"It looks like another beer-and-popcorn moment," Lilley wrote in a Nov. 18 column, referring to a controversial comment made during the 2006 election campaign by then prime minister Paul Martin's communications director, Scott Reid.
Reid was pilloried for arguing that parents would spend the Conservatives' proposed $100 per month child care benefit on beer and popcorn, instead of child care.
Lilley's theme was immediately picked up by Conservative MPs in the House of Commons.
Blake Richards, the Conservative MP for Banff-Airdrie, denounced Raynolds for what he called "insulting and condescending" comments.
Two other Alberta MPs, Chris Warkentin and Kenney, the employment minister, also raised the matter in the Commons.
"That is an echo of the Liberals saying that parents would spend money on beer and popcorn," said Kenney, adding that Liberals think they "know how to spend money better than families."
Richards went further, sending out a fundraising email about the comments attributed to Raynolds, arguing that "arrogance like that is frightening" and asking for donations to help "keep Banff-Airdrie blue."
There's only one problem: another participant in the secretly recorded conversation has stepped forward to say it was he, not Raynolds, who actually made the offending remarks.
"I don't believe Marlo should have to take the flak for something I said," Canmore resident Tam McTavish told The Canadian Press.
McTavish, who says he voted Conservative in the last election and has never been a member of the Liberal party, last week wrote a comment on Richards' Facebook page, correcting the record.
Neither Richards, Kenney nor Lilley responded Monday to a request for comment.
Indeed, Raynolds said he was suspicious that the woman was up to something from the outset of the Canmore meeting, in part because he was sure he'd seen her at an earlier meeting in Airdrie — although he says she told him that was her look-alike cousin.
Raynolds said the Tory tactic is disheartening.
"People are tired of politicians acting like this, parties acting like this," he said in an interview.
"It's very un-Canadian. When did we lose that Canadian value of courtesy in our political discourse?"
more
Conservative trap to ensnare Liberal candidate ends up embarrassing Tories - Politics - CBC News
