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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Robo-mouth, not
In January of this year, NDP MP Pat Martin sent a 950-word rant to the Winnipeg Free Press denouncing as a bad idea a plan to spend $100 million to refurbish the Arlington Street Bridge, charging the money would be better spent removing the CP rail yards, which the bridge spans.
Who knows? Mr. Martin might have been right. Except that no one was talking about the Arlington Street Bridge, they were talking about the estimated cost of perhaps fixing the Louise Bridge far away over the Red River. Mr. Martin called to ask that the piece be withdrawn. "Wrong bridge," he said.
It was classic Pat Martin, a.k.a. the mouth that roared, a man who never lets the facts get in the way of a sound bite. Mr. Martin's schtick no doubt has many fans, especially in the press corps, to which he unashamedly panders for reasons of self-promotion. But now, Mr. Martin finds himself named in a $5-million defamation suit for going robo-mouth over an Alberta robocall firm. He hopes to go cap in hand to raise $250,000 for his defence. The money is to be placed in a trust fund -- donations, at least, will not be tax deductible, which would have been an insult to taxpayers of a different order than Mr. Martin's typical slurs.
In the meantime, the prospect of there being consequences for loose talk has caused Mr. Martin to become, shall we say, circumspect. While no one wants to see MPs muzzled, there can be no doubt that his usual targets are relishing the schadenfreude of the moment.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 28, 2012 A12
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