The Price To Pay

Canada is not a particularly litigious society. We don't, generally, at the drop of a hat, or an insult, resort to the law to solve problems. We tend to face them head on, and to deal with them civilly. When all else fails, then it's time to resort to drawing on the defence of the courts.

Slander, accusations of malfeasance based on a slender thread of intuition or deliberate manipulation of known facts; besmirching a person's reputation beyond redemption, are all extremely serious undertakings. They are indeed reason to resort to the law in support of one's good name.

It's never been done before, that a sitting prime minister of the country would be so verbally and foully assaulted, and so take umbrage that he would launch a law suit against his defamers.

But in the case of the deceased Chuck Cadman's assertion, relayed through hearsay, that attempts were made by Conservative interlocutors to buy his loyalty, the leader of the official opposition in the House of Commons and his Liberal colleagues have continued to press the charge that Stephen Harper is outright lying.

That's a serious accusation anywhere it happens; to accuse anyone of uttering deliberate falsehoods. In the sanctity of the House of Commons many slights to reputations have been hurled across the floor from time to time, and because there is an immunity to prosecution in the House, they're shrugged off, as unfortunate byproducts of the heat of debate.

But such denunciations and accusations made in the public arena, and through the auspices of an Internet official political party web site are another matter entirely.

The Liberal Party of Canada, its leader, Stephane Dion, and its principal members of Parliament have all unleashed accusations of uttering deliberate falsehoods against the prime minister; despite his denials and explanations to the contrary. They have steadfastly refused to retract their statements, given the opportunity to re-phrase them in more diplomatic language - expressing doubts about the prime minister's perspective of a historical event.

Asked, time and again, to refrain, asked repeatedly to remove the accusations from the party's official web site on pain of legal action, defiant and shrill repeating of the charges were forthcoming instead. Well, now, the die has been cast. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has launched a $2.5-million libel suit against the Liberal Party citing their oft-repeated claims that he was aware of an attempt by Conservative spokespeople to bribe the late Mr. Cadman.

Astoundingly, although his widow continues to assert that her husband had been offered an incentive to vote with the Conservatives at a critical time in Parliamentary proceedings, she has also offered her conviction that the prime minister had no knowledge of the affair.

It's entirely conceivable that it is the phrasing "a million-dollar insurance policy" is itself the primary misleading item here, as it may simply be a paraphrase of a more palatable "replacement of financial considerations he might lose due to an election".

Regardless of the details, however, it should be obvious that reckless and deliberate attempts for political considerations to destroy an individual's reputation for integrity and honesty bears a price in our society.

The law suit being brought against the Liberals cites their conduct as "reckless and indifferent to the truth"; maliciously repeating false, heinous, excessive, extreme, and totally unreasonable allegations based on deliberate misunderstanding of events past.

Play the tune, pay the piper.