Glen Pearson goes on the television.
I was pulled out of the Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday to appear on “Politics” with Don Newman. The subject was Rwanda and the recent CIDA cut of humanitarian dollars to that troubled nation. I respect Newman more than most because he’s nobody’s fool, seasoned and incisive.
But when I got to the Parliamentary Rotunda for the interview, I was told the session would last only four minutes and that I was to be on with Jim Abbott, Parliamentary Secretary for CIDA. I like Abbot well enough but I instantly knew there would be no time to really get to the nub of the issue. And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. There was only time for three questions – the first and last to Abbot, with my response sandwiched in the middle. Abbott did what he was supposed to do – spout the government line – and at the end of the interview people were more confused than ever.