Harper appoints a separatist to the senate.

[HeresyLives]

Michel Rivard — former Parti Quebecois (!) MNA circa 1994-1998, who has apparently since been won over by the subtle charms of federalism.

Oh, and just in case anyone was worried that Rivard’s former Piquisteness might inadvertantly put the PM in an awkward situation after he repeatedly suggested that a Liberal-NDP government might appoint separatists to the Senate, fear not: the official announcement of the new senators notes that “each incoming Senator has also declared his or her unwavering commitment to support Canadian unity and oppose the coalition.”

UPDATE: As pointed out by a reader with a far better memory than ITQ: This is almost certainly the same Michel Rivard that the Bloc Quebecois wanted to add to the witness list for last summer’s Ethics committee hearings on in-and-out. He didn’t make the final cut, but did get a shoutout from former Conservative candidate Liberato Martelli, as noted in the liveblog from that session. Rivard’s fellow incoming senator Irving Gerstein was also supposed to go before the committee, but didn’t wind up doing so due to some sort of confusing confusion involving the process server.

http://blog.macleans.ca/category/blog-central/

Of course he says he's loyal. The Bloc MPs swear an oath to the Queen, and then continue to work for separation too.

[daleo]

1. I wondered about this

I was just doing some googling, but I am glad you pointed this out. There seems to be no level of hypocrisy that Harper won't stoop to.

Here's another interesting angle:

- (new Senator) Fred Dickson is mentioned as a possible Mulroney's money source, according to Stevie Cameron's blog:

"SC: They’d get a tax receipt. OK.

DA: And the third way I forget which was just campaign Mulroney or something, where people are … proud to give and don’t want a tax receipt. Those are the three ways I know.

SC: In Nova Scotia, one of them was called CDM Investments, where David Chipman, Fred Dickson and…

DA: I don’t know that. But again, it’s like my February 22 fund, I just dreamed that up."

http://steviecameronblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/mr-mulroneys-money.html

[HeresyLives]

2. Hadn't noticed that one!

Just no end of cute tricks.