When show business & politics collide

Politics, it's been said, is show business for ugly  people. So when real show business collides with real politics, some people are starstruck.

Not Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, though. Oscar nominee Sarah Polley was on Parliament Hill today to protest against potential censorship in film-tax legislation.

Polley's name has been included in a wide array  of film credits over the years, but it was another appearance of her name that Poilievre seems to remember most vividly.

Here's the statement issued by Conservative media:

"Today, actress Sarah Polley held a press conference attacking the Conservative Government over Bill C-10.  While public debate in a democracy is essential, so is honesty.  During the 2004 Federal Election, Sarah Polley was an active member of the “Stop Harper” campaign, even attaching her name to a news release attacking the now Prime Minister. 

“Individuals with vested personal and political interests should be honest with Canadians on what their true intentions are,” said Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre.

It should be said, Poilievre is not the first MP to tell a citizen that his or her views are suspect because they didn't vote the right way or support the right person.

Back in 2001, Liberal MP Tom Wappel wrote a letter to an 81-year-old constituent, saying:  "According to my records, you were a past supporter of mine, yet it seems that in this past election you supported the Canadian Alliance candidate....  How is it that you are writing me for help if you did not think enough of my abilities to justify voting for me?"

Comments

[Jay Davy]

All issues of personal politics aside, I'd just like to know if the Harper government is willing to revoke similar tax credits and funding to industries or projects that other Canadians find objectionable?
Oil, Coal, Forestry, Factory Farming, Automotive Manufacturers producing inefficient Internal Combustion engines, Canadian companies investing in countries with poor human rights records, persons and companies moving profits made in Canada to out-of-country tax shelters, etc...

[Greg crompton]

An 81 year old vet asking for help getting his pension is hardly the same as an industry lobbyist with an ideological ax to grind.

But I never get tired of that Hollywood reference. Har-larious!

[Dave]

Today's article "Ms Polley goes to Ottawa", contains the following:

"Hard-working Canadians are growing increasingly tired of special interest groups telling them what to do," Tory MP Pierre Poilievre (Nepean-Carleton) said in a news release. "If famous actors and actresses want to produce materials that are offensive to the majority of Canadians, they can do it on their own dime, not on the backs of Canadian taxpayers."

Couldn’t it just as easily be said that most Canadians are growing increasingly tired of Conservative special interest groups telling them what to do and if the PM, his backroom and elected lackeys want to produce election style materials such as the current inundation of mailers being sent by MP Scott Reid that are offensive to the majority of Canadians, they can do it on their own dime, not on the backs of Canadian taxpayers?

[Art Jaszczyk]

Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre is out to lunch - he never came back from breakfast, like most neo-cons.
Censorship is NOT the Canadian Way!
Kudos to Ms. Sarah Polley!

"la lutte continue" ("the struggle continues")

[Scully]

Sarah isn't lobbying against the bill because she doesn't like the Conservatives, she is lobbying against the bill because she doesn't like the bill. It isn't surprising that a government that she doesn't support would try to make laws that she disagrees with.