Stephen Harper and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford – the best of fishin’ buddies.
Not something Harper wants the world to know.
So strange, because every time Harper meets any politician, foreign or domestic, he makes sure his photographers are around, and they churn out the images.
Now we find out that Harper and the very-less-popular mayor of Toronto Rob Ford secretly went fishing on Harper’s private lake north of Ottawa on July 20.
We found out only later because Harper showed up as a surprise guest at a big BBQ in Ford’s backyard in Toronto – a private party for Conservatives.
What Harper didn’t count on was that one of the guests taped the whole thing and put it up on YouTube. Another one of those students, supposedly.
The video reveals Harper announcing that Ford gave him a lot of help in the last election, enough for Harper to grab enough seats in Toronto to win a majority on May 2.
Harper won 12 extra ridings in Toronto, 30 out of 45 in all.
“Many of you may remember,” Harper said, “Rob endorsed us in the election. That helped a lot.”
The YouTube clip show Harper saying: “Rob is doing something very important that needs to be done here. He is cleaning up the NDP mess here in Toronto, so that’s great.”
Then Harper explains that both men are working to help elect provincial Conservative Tim Hudak so they can score “a Conservative hat-trick.”
Hey, it didn’t exactly work out that way!
None of that little exchange was ever supposed to come out publicly. Nobody told Harper he was being taped. It was almost as bad as when they taped Harper secretly at a speech in Sault-Ste. Marie two years ago.
The Province of Québec requires out-of-province anglers such as Harper, who lives in Ottawa, and Ford who lives in Toronto to take out one-day fishing licences before they drop their lines into the water.
First, unregistered guns. Now unregistered fishing.
Harper told guests that Ford caught “some good-sized fish.” One was 39 centimetres. Harper measured it. Nice size, but they threw it back.
The video is no longer on YouTube.
You can do things like that when you’re prime minister and you don’t want people knowing who your secret fishin’ buddies are. . . . or that you went fishing without a licence.arpe3r’s Hah
