Conservative MP Betty Hinton tries to start Toronto shit storm in BC interior city

One of the best gauges of the Conservative Party of Canada's level of concern over any given issue is the rambling of Betty Hinton, MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.

What makes her so perfect? She's an unrepentant Harper loyalist, as useless as a bald snow tire on the Roger's Pass in January and dumber than a manhole cover. She's generally behind the curve of public opinion. She also has difficulty sorting out her actual role, both as an MP and as a parliamentary secretary.

[T]he other way to get headlines when you're not in cabinet is to pretend that, in fact, you are. That's the strategy Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Betty Hinton tried in February.

Hinton made the claim in an interview with Kamloops This Week's Markus Ermish. But when the NDP's Jean Crowder brought it up in the House, Hinton denied everything and even demanded an apology.

Unfortunately for the veteran interior politician, Ermish had his interview taped.

The incident led columnist Dale Bass to pen a scathing editorial about Hinton's performance.

"Our local MP is rapidly becoming as valuable to the Conservative government as Hedy Fry was to the Liberals during her Ku-Klux-Klan-cross-burnings-in-Prince-George phase," she wrote.

She went on to say "[S]he goes through local constituency office staff like some losing NFL teams go through coaches," and she is "becoming a public embarrassment to her own party in Parliament."

One might expect that Hinton, who is now watched nationally for her next gaffe, would keep her mouth shut. But, no, Hinton never fails to accommodate. (Link will change)

Hinton urges council to support troops with decals

by Michele Young (Kamloops Daily News, 17 July, 2007)

Kamloops MP Betty Hinton wants the City to put its troop support where its bumpers are.

In a letter going to council’s regular meeting today, Hinton requested the City consider joining a national effort to show support for Canadian troops overseas.

The MP noted Kamloops is home to the Rocky Mountain Rangers, which has had reservists among those troops.

“I am sure that they, their families and their friends would appreciate this small token of support from the city,” she wrote. Hinton was on vacation Monday and was unavailable for further comment.

Mayor Terry Lake said the problem is, the move could be seen as having political overtones.

“My personal feeling is that this should be an individual choice whether people want to put a decal on their vehicle. I don’t think it should be mandated by any organization or government. It politicizes a very personal choice,” he said.

“Many, many Canadians support our troops, but some question our role in Afghanistan. If you put that sticker on, it would be interpreted in many ways.”

The decals raised controversy for the City of Toronto last month after they were put on fire and emergency medical service vehicles.

Toronto’s senior communications officer, Rob Andrusevic, said yellow-ribbon decals were part of a year-long program involving fire trucks and ambulances. In late June, Toronto council unanimously passed a motion to continue allowing the decals to decorate the vehicles indefinitely.

Public response was mixed, with some people calling or writing City Hall. But there had also been an outcry prior to council’s vote, when there was some thought given to passing a motion calling for the decals to be removed.

Other cities have also allowed the decals, including Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Edmonton, the latter allowing drivers the choice of whether to put a ribbon on the vehicle.

Lake said he understood Toronto came under a lot of criticism for allowing the decals.

Currently the only adornment on City of Kamloops vehicles, besides the City logos, are stickers promoting environmental efforts, he said.

“We have an anti-idling sticker on City vehicles to remind staff about our policy. That’s about it,” said Lake.

Bumper-sticker and fridge-magnet patriotism. That's what Hinton's all about. But it goes deeper than that. This Harper sycophant is incapable of independent thought and has become a fantastic weather-vane of Conservative politics. She appeals to those who spend no time thinking about issues because she's one of them. Rather than make any attempt to get along with the city and town councils in her riding, she antagonizes them. How? She's too thick to know she's doing it.

Hinton is a demonstration of the "big C" conservative need for authority figures and centralized control. Reduce independent thinking to a minimum. Follow the leader. That's what makes Hinton and her particular ilk comfortable. No need to think things through; somebody will do that for you. The authority figure, once identified, means you can focus on simpler things in life - like some ridiculous bumper sticker on an SUV.

The amazing part is that Hinton may not even be aware that the very idea she was promoting in her riding, putting "support the troops" magnets on city vehicles, was the already the subject of considerable controversy in Toronto.

Just as a matter of interest, a little inquiry to the city of Kamloops produced the fact that vehicles bearing Veteran's license plates park free at city parking meters. This after many cities didn't even bother recognizing Veteran's vehicle plates at all, or gave them a special dispensation only during 2006.

So, while Hinton is urging a city in her riding to engage in something which would surely inflame a segment of the population, to satisfy her leader's penchant for patriotic symbolism, the city of Kamloops is actually showing support by giving up revenue to those who proudly display their past military service.

One would think Hinton would be aware of this and might make mention of it. She is, after all, the parliamentary secretary for the Minister of Veterans' Affairs. And all of us veterans are quietly waiting for Hinton and her minister to keep the Harper promise of a Veterans Ombudsman. Announcing the idea is a far cry from, you know, actually appointing one.