Federal representatives have been acting with a tremendous amount of maturity at the COP15 conference in Copenhagen. After receiving one too many "Fossil Awards" from environmental groups seeking to embarrass Canada into action, Environment Minister Jim Prentice retaliated by bestowing the "Hot Air of the Day" award on the Pembina Institute. While this gesture played well in The National Post, it struck me as a variation of such sophisticated verbal battles heard on playgrounds throughout the generations:
"Don't call me Stupidhead, you Idiotface."
"Stupidhead!"
"Idiotface!"
Really, shouldn't elected Members of Parliament have a thick enough skin to avoid such exchanges and focus on the work at hand in the conference?
A reasonable person might think so, but the reaction to The Yes Men's hoax today suggests that the federal government is losing perspective. As the Toronto Star reports, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's spokesman, Dimitri Soudas (not an elected MP, mind you), falsely accused Équiterre's Steven Guilbeault of being the mastermind behind the hoax. When Guilbeault denied his involvement and asked for an apology, do you think Soudas accepted responsibility and apologized? No. He had the gall to suggest Guilbeault apologize for criticizing Canada at the conference, completely ignoring his original offence against Guilbeault.
Always attack. Never admit you're wrong. Turn all accusations back upon your accusers. Accept no responsibility. Is this the image we should be projecting abroad?
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