This is who they really are

I'm sure Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski is very sorry...that he got caught being a bigoted hatemonger. I believe that Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is deeply regretful... that there's a video record of his mocking contempt for Canadians of Ukrainian heritage. I'm quite sure that Canadian conservatives are deeply embarrassed...that their contempt for women has again been revealed.

Are they sorry for what it is they actually said and did? Nope, sorry. I don't believe that for a second.

To anyone who's spent any time around Conservatives and before that Alliance members and before that Reformers when they felt unguarded and around like minded people, none of this is news. None of this sounds uncharacteristic. If anything it barely goes beneath the surface of the deep wells of bile and hatred among Canada's right wing. I'm quite sure that in private conversations right now various figures in this mess are raging about political correctness run amok and dismissing the whole matter as nothing more than a PR problem.

This is who they are. Are there socially moderate fiscal and even cultural conservatives in Canada who are appalled by this kind of language and behaviour? Sure, but far too often they seem quite willing to overlook it among their allies on the hard right and a lot of them are probably just offended by the crudity with which they were expressed, not the sentiments themselves.

Government House leader Peter Van Loan was pantingly eager to accept Lukiwski's expedient apology and declare that the end of the matter.

An apology wasn't good enough for David Ahenakew. Both the Saskatchewan and federal governments made it clear that his hateful remarks put him permanently beyond the pale, tainted the organization he was part of and would even make it impossible for the Saskatchewan government to deal with him in any official role.

Are the rules different for hatred spewed at gays rather than Jews? Are the rules different for conservative politicians?

Or are they just different for white people?

UPDATE: Why yes, says the Globe and Mail editorial board, the rules are different for hateful remarks made about gays as opposed to equally hateful remarks based on race or religion, or at least they were in 1991. See, everyone knew better than to say hateful things about race or religion back in the far distant days of the early 90's, but homophobia was still A-OK.

UPDATE 2: Why are Canadian right wingers so utterly incapable of not leaving behind damning evidence when handing over their opposition offices to their political enemies? Is it a political death wish?

UPDATE 3: Oh look, its Tom Lukiwski being a bigoted homophobic dick just three years ago. I'm sure the apologists still want to give him the benefit of the doubt though.