The whistleblower who originally released the evidence of Chinese interference in Canadian federal elections - probably not a big surprise or revelation to many - has just issued another "confidential" (i.e. anonymous) communication explaining/justifying his/her original decision to reveal classified documents to the Globe and Mail. The piece is prominently featured on the front page of the Globe's Opinion section, prefaced by a note from the Editor saying that "this is a rare moment in which we have granted confidentiality to an Opinion writer".
So, this is the whistleblower or, more likely, the Globe and Mail, fanning the flames of the issue, which they might perceive as flagging (although it seems to be anything but flagging to me). The opinion piece is replete with exculpatory claims like, "I do not believe that foreign interference dictated the present composition of our federal government", "nor do I believe that any of our elected leaders is a traitor to our country", and "I hold no personal complaint against our political leaders, against our national security community, or against the Liberal Party".
Nevertheless, the anonymous person we have to call merely "the whistleblower", and certainly the Globe and Mail, have to have known that such revelations (if indeed you consider them revelations) were bound to stir up a hornets' nest of partisan vitriol, particularly with the acerbic Poilievre at the helm of the Official Opposition (speaking of which, I can't help but share the Globe's political cartoon of the day).
It feels a bit disingenuous to make claims like these, as though to say " I didn't know this would be used for partisan purposes!", "I didn't mean this to be so divisive!", "I didn't intend to bring down the government!" And then to double down on them? Doubly disingenuous. Or a subtle political activist?
No comments:
Post a Comment