Throwing in the towel.
It’s been a rough week for Marco Mendicino.
While he’s long been criticized for repeatedly lying, this week marked a turning point in which a critical mass of attention was placed upon him, attention he seems unable to handle.
Mendicino’s latest falsehood was his claim to be shocked by the transfer of Paul Bernardo to a minimum security prison, when it turns out that Mendicino’s office knew about it for months – as did the Prime Minister’s Office.
Mendicino’s defence against accusations he lied is to claim that his staff never told him about it. Few believe that claim, due to Mendicino’s reputation for dishonesty. He simply hasn’t built up the good will to be seen as credible on the issue – or any issue for that matter.
The other problem for Mendicino is that his best defence is to basically plead incompetence. He can’t have done anything wrong – so the argument goes – because he didn’t even know what was going on. But of course, why should he remain the minister of public safety if he can’t even manage his own department?
Mendicino gives up
At this point, while Mendicino is refusing to resign, he has given up on defending himself.
Under strong questioning from MP Blaine Calkins – who again recited the litany of Mendicino’s lies – Mendicino simply gave up and refused to answer:
I just called out the Public Safety Minister's outrageous misinformation to the Canadian public. You won't believe his response! Watch it now…. #PROC #cdnpoli #MustWatch pic.twitter.com/a0wKn5DILV
— Blaine Calkins (@BlaineFCalkins) June 15, 2023
He claimed the list of his lies was inaccurate, and said it didn’t warrant a response.
This is generally the final refuge of someone who is unable to make a good case for their actions: Claim that the criticism you are facing shouldn’t be dignified with a response.
It’s a tactic that can work, but it usually requires that the person using it to have more credibility than their attackers.
In Mendicino’s case, he completely lacks credibility, so it only makes him look worse.
Mendicino is either wildly incompetent, or a habitual liar. Whichever it is (or perhaps a combo of both), he should immediately resign or be fired. The fact that he remains in any position of power in this country is an insult to Canadians.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – Twitter
