PMO: Liberals hate Tim's

Via  @stephen_taylor, here's what the PMO has to say about why  Harper chose doughnuts over diplomacy yesterday. 

Today the Prime Minister was in Ontario to promote Canada as an attractive place to invest and a great place to do business. The occasion was the landmark decision by Tim Hortons to reorganize as a Canadian company.

Michael Ignatieff has criticized today’s focus on the economy, claiming that the Prime Minister should be at the United Nations talking about climate change – not back home focused on the economy.

In synchronized attacks, the Liberal Party issued a press release denouncing the Tim Hortons visit, while MP Bonnie Crombie and a handful of Liberals carrying United Nations flags protested outside the PM’s announcement – essentially picketing a Canadian economic success story.

Our priority is the Canadian economy. Nothing takes precedence over the economy.

The decision to picket the Canadian homecoming of Tim Hortons is shameful: further proof that the Ignatieff Liberals care more about political games than the Canadian economy.

The Prime Minister’s speaking spot at the U.N. General Assembly (Friday, 5:00 p.m.) conflicts with attendance at the G-20 economic summit in Pittsburgh. The PM is attending the G-20 summit because our priority is the economy.

The Ignatieff Liberals feel that speaking to the United Nations is more important than working on the economy with other G-20 leaders. We disagree.

Nothing is more important than the Canadian economy

By the way, the Liberal attacks conveniently omit key facts: Prime Minister Harper and other world leaders worked on climate change at a U.N. meeting last night, and today Canada’s seat in the General Assembly will deliberately be vacant during the speech by Holocaust-denier Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

(It’s also worth noting that if Michael Ignatieff had his way, this week we would be in the middle of an unnecessary, opportunistic election. So much for his concern about attendance at the U.N.)

Dimitri N. Soudas
Associate Communication Director/ Press Secretary
Directeur des Communications associé/Attaché de presse

Prime Minister’s Office
Cabinet du Premier ministre

Comments

[twitter.com/ChrisInKW]

Gosh, it's so obvious why Liberals hate Timmy's: they don't serve lattés there. The world's climate can go to hell in a hand-basket and our global allies can beat us to hell but by Jove us red-blooded Canadians must be allowed our double-doubles!

[Chris]

Dimitri is pathetic

[Kim Leaman]

Stupid comment about Liberals hating Timmy's!

This is not about Tim Horton's, it is about that vacuous plodder, Stephen Harper. Who would give up a chance to speak at the united Nations for any reason and still consider himself relevent?

The Tim's location in question will still be there later, why not go there at a later date to congratulate them? Having a hard time setting priorities, Mr. Harper?

Harper does not give a damn about the environment and You know it. He spent $60,000.oo of taxpayer's money on this trip. His irrelevence and contempt is becoming more relevent every day.

Harper is not relevent, but the Environment is.

[Craig]

"It’s also worth noting that if Michael Ignatieff had his way, this week we would be in the middle of an unnecessary, opportunistic election." Unlike the last election that Harper called after having passed Bill C-16 because he thought he might get a majority government, right? Oh, sorry, that was due to "lack of cooperation in Parliament." A lot of good that did.

I'm really tired of Canadian politicians (and parties by extension) and their absolutely blatant opportunistic approach to the process. It seems they all blame each other for the same thing they did just the other day. If Ignatieff becomes PM, then I have no doubt he'll use the exact same tactics when the Conservatives want to force an election.

Are we Canadians that gullible that we buy this BS? If we are, then how sad is that?

[Martin]

Guess I'm a Liberal. I never go to Tim Hortons.

[Dave]

It does say alot of Iggy's motives, all I have seen this week is him everyday trying to get some sort of press and looking even more not ready for prime time. He knows his chances of becoming the PM by getting voted in are slim to none unless he lies and goes for the signed coalition deal again!!!

[Tired of the Games]

I wouldn't put it past the Conservatives to picket their own celebration and blame the Liberals.

[Ozy3]

That has to be the most puerile and unprofessional twaddle I've ever heard from a government official. Where do they find these dimwits? And why does the statement spend more time talking about the Liberals than the PM's reasons for not attending the UN? This is like teenage highschool kids who try to say that even though they didn't do their homework, at least they didn't trash the car like the kid next door! What happened to adults in government? So, Harper's message is that the PM is not supposed to be a statesman and represent Canada on the international scene? Well, ironically enough, Harper's appealed the Khadr ruling all the way to the Supreme Court to insist that the PM has sole jurisdiction over international affairs, even if he chooses not to fulfil such obligations. How ironic. And by the way, a PM can still support and promote the economy while attending the UN. Promoting Timmie's *within* Canada is not a pitch for the economy; doing so overseas would perhaps qualify.

[Lesley]

So if the roles were different Ignatieff would be at the UN giving ear to Ahmadinejad? Of course he would, he's mostly American anyways so why should he care about the Canadian economy. Shame on anyone who picketed Timmy's for comin home.
I'll take my double double any day over listening to the rhetoric of a terroist.
Bravo for the call Stephen!

Signed
Lesley

[Adam]

they do serve lattes at Timmy's - they ran a big ad campaign about it a while ago.

[Adam Fineman]

This is a really funny take on the whole Stephen Harper Tim Hortons thing, I loved it:

http://thealbatross.ca/2009/09/as-usual-harper-inappropriately-dressed-for-work/

[gerald bryant]

Nice to know that both the Prime Minister, AND the RCMP love Tim Hortons even if the Liberals have a problem with that.

[Ozy3]

Hey, Lesley! So, Gordon Brown, Obama, Sarkozy, et al are all anti-semites who don't care about their economies? Nice. Is there any consistency in your standards or do you just write anything because you enjoy typing?
I take it that all your Tim Horton coffees are Irish, right?
"Rhetoric of a terrorist"? Now Ahmedinejad's a terrorist? I take it you have immunity to say whatever you like about others but want to censor Ahmedinejad for anti-semitic remarks? A bit of a double standard going on here? Why should you be able to throw out inflammatory untruths about an individual under the guise of "free speech" but then demand that he be silenced when he reciprocates? Practice what you preach - otherwise your credibility is mud.

[twitter.com/ChrisInKW]

Sorry Kim and Adam, I tried to make my comment so over-the-top to be obviously humourous but it appears to be impossible to employ sarcasm given all those driven to hysteria. However, I think this served to reinforce my point.