The Chandler Stunt

Craig Chandler now wears the crown as Canada's biggest arse-kisser. This failed Reform and Social Credit candidate has a history of odd political behaviour.

Yesterday, in what will inevitably become known as "The Chandler Stunt", he sent out this letter to all of the media outlets in the US to apologize to America for what he thinks is a rising tide of anti-Americanism in this country. As evidence, he cites the recent comment made by Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish, that Americans are "bastards".

In 1993 at the age of 22, Chandler ran unsuccessfully as a Reform Candidate in Ontario, then in 1997 ran (also unsuccessfully) as a Socred candidate in the Alberta provincial election. Then, when he wasn't invited to join the Reform Party's failed "Unite the Right" conference back in 1998, he held his own Unite the Right conference. It was attended by the "Freedom Party" and some other fringe groups. The conference became a forum for each of these groups to gain attention for their causes, and ranged from anti-abortionists, to opponents of bilingualism and multiculturalism. In the end the group was unable to work together, and that was that.

Just as he didn't understand the differences between the fringe parties he was tring to unite, Chandler doesn't seem to understand the nature of the Canada-US relationship. Canadians have very close relationship with the United States. On September 11 1991, I was working in an office building and I was horrified that thousands of people just like me, who had woken up only a few hours before, shaved, showered then hopped on the subway were now dead in a terrorist attack on their office building. In the weeks after that awful event, American flags flew across this country. We don't usually think about the strength of our ties with our southern neighbour, but it might be safe to say that Canadians and Americans are like family.
Yes, there have been some dumb remarks made lately. But most Americans who are aware of the Parrish comments know that they don't represent the opinion of Canadians towards Americans.

So why did Chandler feel the need to pen this pathetic suck-up letter? Because he wanted to make some sort of headline, even if it is a negative one, in hopes of saving his silly attempt to win the PC Party leadership. Because somewhere, deep inside, he's got the same North American insecurity shared by Stephen Harper and his breed.

If we're going to let zealots like Craig Chandler run the party, wed be just as well off to go and join the Canadian Alliance.