The Keystone Cops were fictional
incompetent policemen, featured in silent film comedies. In Confederation Building these days, it seems a comedy of errors is
being played out by our very own version of the Keystone troupe; though no one
is laughing.
Loss of federal funding in relation
to the Canada/European Trade Agreement (CETA) has stirred up a new war with
Ottawa. Premier Davis might like you to pick
up placards and show your outrage. My advice: save your energy. The ineptitude is right here.
Even though the CETA issue is not
about high sounding principles or constitutional rights, the controversy involves
a lot of money. Whether the Province ought to have levered funding from a trade deal in which it was also a beneficiary is moot. Now we are left to ask: how could a deal deemed by Dunderdale to be “done” completely fall
off the rails?
This story involves more than just a
dispute over phraseology or even intent; it is about naivety and over bearing
confidence. It calls into question the judgment of the former Premier (one more
time) and the professionalism of the bureaucrats who headed the negotiating
team.
