The Triumph of Incompetence

Lawrence Martin weighs in this morning on the subject of Bob Dechert and the company he keeps. John Baird's parliamentary secretary, writes Martin,

showed such poor judgment in entering into that kind of relationship [with an agent of the Xinhua News Agency] that his credibility in continuing in his position is surely shot through with doubts.

The same lack of judgement has been a hallmark of the Harper government:

We saw this in the case of International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda, who became ensnared in a document-altering affair in the matter of cutting off funding to the aid group Kairos; she was not disciplined. We are seeing it with respect to Treasury Board President Tony Clement on a more serious matter – the diversion of $50-million in taxpayer money, originally slated for border infrastructure improvements, for projects to beautify his Muskoka riding. The opposition devoted a good deal of Question Period to the matter as Parliament reopened yesterday but was met with non-answers. Mr. Clement refuses to stand and defend himself.

The truth is that the Harperites believe no defence is necessary. Convinced of their own righteousness, and now comfortably  in control of a majority government, they can do as they choose. And, beginning today, we are going to see precisely what they choose to do.

Meanwhile, The Winnipeg Free Press reports that the government is paying Deloitte $90,000 a day to help it determine where to cut government services. And the cost of those troubled F-35 fighter jets keeps rising.

The last election was yet another example of the triumph of incompetence.