An Assyrian is Shaking Canada and its Government
If you live in Canada, even if in the extreme remote North, chances are you will have heard of the name “Helena Guergis” lately, the former Minister of State (Status of Women.) She has been in the news lately, for both her questionable behaviour, and the subsequent and surprising booting that she got from the Canadian prime minister, out of the parliament.
Mrs. Guergis was removed from cabinet and expelled from the Conservative caucus after allegations against her had been received by the Prime Minister.
Whatever her recent actions and charges against her are, including an emotional outburst against staff at the Charlottetown airport, there is no denial that she has shaken Canadian politics. Her name is everywhere. She is arguably the hottest news item in Canada since Easter, and will likely remain a hot news trend for weeks to come. Oh, and she happens to be of an Assyrian origin!
All her issues aside, are Assyrians getting a free publicity at the expense of Helena Guergis? for better or for worse, Assyrians are getting a lot of publicity when people try to find more information about Mrs. Guergis. In fact, this very website (Assyrian Voice) has its fair share of people looking for more information about the Simcoe-Grey county MP.
As an important a position as she had held until recently, a lot of Assyrians themselves hadn’t even heard of her. And ironically enough, they only heard of her now that it was a little too late, having lost her seat at the caucus.
Regardless, and taking advantage of the cliche that ‘she is innocent until proven guilty’, as Assyrians, we should support and stand by her. Sure she may have acted in a manner that is in conflict with her government position, it is also important not to lose sight of the fact that the liberal propaganda machines are out to get her, and in the process bring shame to the conservatives. In other words, she is the scapegoat for the Liberals and Conservatives alike, as the latter would like to distance itself so as not to tarnish its reputation.
As this story unravels, we are reading and hearing of new details regarding Ms.Guergis infamous outburst at Charlottetown airport in February. Sources close to her, including her sister, tell several Canadian newspapers that her sister’s moody behaviour was likely caused by a miscarriage that the former minister had. In fact, it was the third she had had to endure.
Let us give this women some privacy and stop making her prey for the media and press. She made some mistakes, and so did her her husband, but life goes on. The prime minister has referred her case to the RCMP, and they will do their own investigation. Let us wait and see and not jump to conclusions. The ethics commissioner has already come out and said that there is nothing to investigate.
Assyrian Voice stands behind Ms. Guergis and so should all Assyrians. We are not standing for wrongdoing. We are standing for an Assyrian-Canadian politician, who has recognized her roots and Assyrian background, and also done a lot for her constituency and all those she served. The liberal media has played into this and made a much bigger deal out of it. And again, what her husband did is his own mistake and Ms. Helena can’t take the blame for it.
