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A councillor in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador has been charged under the Canada Elections Act.

Reg Bowers served as official agent to Peter Penashue, the Conservative MP for Labrador elected by the hair of a seal in the 2011 Federal Election. Not to be outdone by his conservative colleagues in Ontario (Dean Del Maestro, Michael Sona, Julian Fantino, Ted Opitz, and Jay Aspin), Penashue’s team left a steaming pile of suspicious manoeuvres and questionable contributions in their wake, whose stink rivaled that of St. John’s docks on a hot July day. After an investigation undertaken by CBC News, Penashue was forced to resign and run in a by-election in 2013.

 

2015-05-07-11-18-29-LAB-A00-11052015-Reg Bowers-BL

Old white male turns out to be the same as all the others.
THE LABRADORIAN

 

After Penashue’s resignation (and before he was roundly defeated by former leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party, Yvonne Jones), Prime Minister Stephen Harper repeatedly declared Penashue to be the best Member of Parliament that Labrador had ever had. Apparently, even praise for his own caucus members is cheap these days. He seems to tell his MPs and Senators that they’re “the best” just before they go to court and prove to be the worst. Either the PM has very low standards for good work or he’s just disingenuous.

Maybe that’s why his MPs act like trained seals; they’re just starving for praise and approval. I’d suggest they seek medical help, if they can find a psychiatrist who can fit them in without waiting a year. Since our veterans can’t, I doubt an exception would be made for our politicians.

 

I smell rotten eggs (particularly this one)   Rabble

I smell rotten eggs.
Getty

 

When he stepped down in 2013, Penashue blamed Bowers for the entirety of the scandal, calling him an inexperienced volunteer. Following the 2011 election, the Conservative Party had promptly appointed said inexperienced volunteer to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Off-Shore Petroleum Board, which prepared Bowers for his run at a council seat in Goose Bay.

With yet another goose egg born out of the Conservative Party (adding to the ranks of Duffy, Brazeau, Gallant and Del Maestro), the Federal Conservative Party may find even more rotten eggs as time goes on.