The OOC never makes controversial appointments? Never?!

I was going to join Dr. Dawg and just give this a pass but it's difficult to do when "national" publications seem so bent on making a point with such dull pencils.

Outrage brews as Ottawa set to honour Morgentaler

Really. And then the question is raised, how did that information find its way out of the Honours Secretariat before the recipient was informed? The honours list is sealed after selections have been made and not made public until the head of state releases it. Leaks such as this are done with a purpose and in this case it looks like the Prime Minister's Office is the culprit.

The Conservatives sent out talking points to MPs on Friday that did not name Dr. Morgentaler, but were clearly in preparation for a controversial appointment. They emphasized that Order of Canada recipients are not chosen by the cabinet, but rather a panel whose nine members include only two government appointees.

And then the pack of howling Hyenas started.

Maurice Vellacott, a Conservative MP from Saskatchewan who has been a long-time opponent of abortion, said the honour normally goes to someone who is the unanimous choice of the advisory council. Mr. Vellacott said he has heard this was not the case with the selection of Dr. Morgentaler.

Now there's someone to lead a Conservative charge. If the so-con religious authoritarians ever wanted their highly tenuous position diminished further than it already is, pick an embarrassing, public nuisance like Vellacott to be their voice. And what Vellacott heard can be taken with a grain of the proverbial salt since he's not beyond spewing out imaginary words and scenarios as fact.

Then we get some other voices stacking up. (Emphasis mine)

But Joanne McGarry, executive director of the Catholic Civil Rights League, said that if Dr. Morgentaler is named to the order, "it would be a most unfortunate choice."

"As Canadians we would like to see the Order of Canada given to people whose contributions to such initiatives as charity, education, culture, the environment, things of that kind that are uniformly viewed as positive and tend to unite people," she said. "With this choice, the one thing that everybody really agrees on about Morgentaler is that he is a very divisive figure."

Really, Joanne? We'll keep those attributes in mind as we move along here.

Liberal MP Dan McTeague said Dr. Morgentaler is a very controversial person and if he is admitted to the order, it will polarize Canadians.

The Governor-General and the committee advising on appointments to the Order of Canada have always been careful in the past not to choose people who were controversial or who would not be unanimously celebrated by all Canadians, Mr. McTeague said.

Really, Dan? Have they always been that careful? All Order of Canada inductees are unanimously celebrated by all Canadians?

So, Maurice, Joanne and Dan, if an Order of Canada appointment requires unanimous approval of the advisory board;
and the criteria for such an appointment, (as viewed by the Catholic Civil Rights League), is contributions to charity, education, culture, the environment and things that are uniformly viewed as positive and unite people;
and the advisory board has been careful not to choose people who would not be unanimously celebrated by all Canadians...

explain this.

UPDATE: It's official! Congratulations Dr. Morgentaler. (h/t JJ)