Does this comment smell a bit off?

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This article was published 03/04/2011 (5480 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A comment by Tory MP Shelly Glover that Liberal MP Anita Neville had “passed her expiry date” had readers smelling something rotten on both sides of the debate.

I guess Shelly did not read my Facebook post. For those who missed it, here it is again. With the election ramping up here in Canada, I have some words of advice to all the politicians.

“A closed mouth gathers no foot.”

— coolguy576

I don’t see this as an ageist comment. She said that Neville, as an MP, is past her expiry date. I interpret that as saying that Neville’s ideas, performance, priorities, etc. are old and a change is needed. Needing new blood is a common sentiment so why is this news? The LPC has deliberately turned this into something that it clearly is not. And that, from what I’ve seen, is typically LPC.

— east of eden1

I think all the politicians in Parliament these days have “passed their expiry date.” I haven’t seen any of them do anything that benefits the majority of Canadians. We should set a term limit for all politicians. For example, you can only hold three terms, then must take one term off. This means that if we have three or four federal elections in a seven-year period, like we just have, then most of the politicians would have to take this election off. And while we are at it, let’s have an elected Senate.

— LoneWolf_69

Whether or not Ms. Glover’s statement was intended to be a slur against Ms. Neville’s age, that certainly is the public perception. And as Harper’s constant rants about the so-called “coalition” show, once the public perception swings a certain way, it doesn’t really matter what the truth is.

— a nm

“…this type of silliness rather than debates about policy…” Well, how can you have debates when only one side will allow questions to be asked? How can you have debates when one side won’t go off script? How can you have debates when the candidates on one side are told to shut up and only spew the party line on cue?

— engelbert

Ms. Glover is following her leader down the path of personal attacks and towards the politics of hatred. Is this a fact of life we want in Canadian politics? Look where such politics have led in the U.S. We despair over schoolyard bullying, but if you look around you see the behaviour modelled in the PMO, on the government benches, and in all the attack ads. Leaders lead by example. So don’t blame the kids!

— Greyback

Shelly is part of a posse of straight-shooting crime fighters who are locking up criminals and throwing away the key. But, criminy, don’t you go askin’ ’em how much it will cost to build all them jails to keep them criminals. Because they will refuse to tell you. OK, so maybe they’re not all that straight-talking, maybe they’re talkin’ circles around plain folk.

— Spence Furby

Shelly Glover is Winnipeg’s Sarah Palin.

— Alainm

So what? This is an issue? How old are these women? Glover probably shouldn’t have said it, but she’s in a different party! If she doesn’t think Neville is a good MP then what’s the problem saying it?

Grow some thick skin, for God’s sakes. Interpret how you want, but people in the House of Commons scream and yell at each other all the time, and now they’re so sensitive? Why? Because it an election?

I think if Neville doesn’t like it, then let her defend it with action, not the media or spin. I’d like to hear about policies from these women to determine an opinion, not this BS.

— chaz

What is the big deal about this issue? I am getting past my expiry date in my career and I can accept it!

— Mr. K

Speaking of past expiry dates, Ms. Glover’s political tresses clearly hark back to the heady days of the 1980s. Her right-of-centre locks are nearly twenty years past fashionable. Time for an ideological make-over.

— Russ T Bag

Maybe Sarah (err Shelly) can attack Kevin Lameroux for being short!

— Ozzy

And Ottawa wonders why voter turnout is so low. We have children running for office. Hope I didn’t offend children, is that ageism too? Our MP’s have a lack of platform. Tell me why I should specifically vote for YOU, not why I shouldn’t vote for somebody else.

— sublime