Politics: Wafers, G8 moments, and the likely fallout

Canadian politics watchers have been getting lots to talk about this week. First, there was what some people are calling "Wafergate" -- the controversy over whether Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper (a) should have accepted a communion wafer at the state funeral of former Governor-General Roméo Leblanc, and (b) whether, having accepted it, really ate it or just put it in his pocket or otherwise disposed of it.




And this afternoon, there's a growing firestorm around a gaffe at the G-8 summit in Italy. During a news conference, Harper said the following:

"If you don't mind giving me a moment to address the comments of Mr. Ignatieff. The leader of the opposition suggested very recently in the last day or two, I gather, that it's possible -- I’m not sure if he's saying it's desirable or should happen or could happen -- that there will be a group come to the fore, a group of major countries that will exclude Canada. I don't know where he's getting this idea. Nobody but Mr. Ignatieff in the world has suggested excluding Canada from a meeting of major countries. Nobody. It's the first anybody has heard of it. I think it's an irresponsible suggestion, Mr. Ignatieff is supposed to be a Canadian. I don't think you go out and float ideas like this that are so obviously contrary to the country's interests when no one else is advocating them. So I would suggest that he look carefully at his comments and withdraw those. Frankly they would be irresponsible coming from anybody but particularly irresponsible coming from a kean [sic] Canadian Parliamentarian."

Within minutes of this pronouncement, the PM's press secretary Dimitri Soudas, and then the PM, apologized, saying that in fact it was not the Liberal leader but an academic who had made the remarks which prompted Harper's rejoinder.

"During my press conference, I attacked Mr. Ignatieff for some things he had allegedly said about Canada and the G8," Harper said.

"I learned shortly after the press conference this was not a quotation of Mr. Ignatieff. I regret the error and I apologize to Mr. Ignatieff for this error."

Soudas, who also apologized, said the remark attributed to Ignatieff was actually made by an academic.

According to blogger BigCityLib, it was Gordon Smith of the University of Victoria's Centre for Global Studies who actually made the remarks, which you can hear here:

So. Two gaffes, and what do we learn?

The first gaffe I chalked up to silly season and the media desperate for something to work on. This was, to me, not an issue. Not being religious myself, I'm more than willing to accept the possibility that Harper shouldn't have taken the wafer at all. After all, it has a theological meaning that likely doesn't gibe with his beliefs. But it seemed like a tempest in a teapot to me.

But the G8 gaffe is of a different order entirely.

To take time during a global summit to attack your political opponent doesn't seem cricket to me. And to do it based on erroneous information seems to me to be an offence that will pretty much guarantee that Mr. Soudas will be leaving his job, either with a handshake or a kick helping him along.

I've never worked in political communications, although spending time in Ottawa working for universities and colleges has left me with many experiences of watching politicians at work. I can't see how the Harper PMO can get past this second gaffe without sending someone off the plank.

Hat-tip to the indefatigable David Akin.

Ciao,
Bob.