Liberal MP's apologize for politicizing the Body Bag issue in 10%ers

And it's about time too... though of course the retraction is always printed on Page 8, while their initial and ultimately INCORRECT allegations of course ended up on the front pages.

Here's a thought for you Liberals... maybe instead of trying to score political points by making wild and untrue accusations, you could and get your facts straight first?

Silly me, what was I thinking... after all, Liberals will be Liberals.

Liberal MPs apologize for offensive flyer
By Christina Spencer, SUN MEDIA
October 28, 2009

OTTAWA — Liberal MPs apologized Wednesday for distributing a household flyer that attacks the government’s handling of H1N1 among aboriginals with the slogan “No vaccines, just body bags.”

The flyer, mailed as a message from Liberal health critic Dr. Carolyn Bennett, features a picture of body bags in a lab and a sick aboriginal child.

Grand Chief Ron Evans of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs told a parliamentary committee the flyer was “very disturbing...it’s really troubling to our people.”

The pamphlet arrived on doorsteps after an investigation into an incident in which an official ordered 100 body bags for a First Nations community in Manitoba struggling with an H1N1 outbreak. The investigation concluded there was no ill will and the number was a miscalculation.

Evans said the fact the flyer was apparently sent after the incident was resolved suggested the affair is now being politicized.

Bennett apologized, saying her party’s intentions were honourable.

Using the Cree expression for “I’m sorry,” Bennett said, “We would never do anything to offend; we did believe that raising attention for the real dire needs that we saw when we were [in Manitoba] was uppermost in our minds.”

Fellow Liberal MP Rob Oliphant suggested the flyers had been printed before the outcome of the body-bag investigation was known.

But Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq wasn’t satisfied. She told the CBC, “We are in a pandemic situation where Dr. Bennett should know better.

“First Nations communities should not be used as punching bags for a political party.”

chrisina.spencer@sunmedia.ca