Giving it, taking it

Keith Halliday’s Yukonomics column on April 20th was nothing if not a classic example of an attack ad directed at Conservative candidate Ryan Leef.

In his “attack-column” (to coin a phrase), Halliday resorts to mockery, innuendo and misleading fear-mongering in his effort to discredit the candidacy of Conservative Ryan Leef, while (ironically and hypocritically) expressing his criticism of what he describes as Leef’s “attack ads.”

In fact, the Leef campaign ads are very carefully directed and limited to Larry Bagnell’s voting record in Parliament Ð the very public record upon which Bagnell has invited scrutiny and debate in this campaign.

The Leef ads obligingly remind Yukoners of how their MP voted on issues thought to be important to this constituency.

Of course there are differences of political opinion on these matters Ð that is the stuff of genuine political debate and discussion. But these are substantive debates around issues, as opposed to the kind of ridicule, innuendo and rather tawdry anti-Leef declarations of Halliday’s column.

If Halliday is still working on behalf of the Liberal Party (as I understand he once did), perhaps he should declare his allegiance and be up-front about writing his own attack ads for Bagnell.

Barrett W. Horne, President

Yukon Conservative Association

Whitehorse