G&M "Team Tory, er, Team Canada " Steve Chase, OTTAWA — From Friday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Saturday, Oct. 03, 2009
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/team-tory-er-team-canada/article1309352/
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"A prominent symbol on some of Canada's official Olympic team clothing - unveiled yesterday - bears a close resemblance to the federal Conservative Party logo.
There are minor differences, of course. But basically it's a variation on the same blue "C" with a red maple leaf inside it that Mr. Harper's party uses to identify itself.
Gary Lunn, Tory minister responsible for the Olympics, acknowledges "there's no question there's similarities," but said Ottawa had no hand in the symbol.
"There's no politicization of the Olympics."
Mr. Lunn said the design was handled exclusively by Hudson's Bay Co. in consultation with the Canadian Olympic Committee and a panel of athletes."
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Gary Lunn's explanation simply doesn't hold water for a number of reasons.
First, bias is something that ought not to occur but also ought not look like it is occurring. Harper and the Con's should have done the right thing and taken steps immediately to have this changed.
It is very difficult to believe that no one in the government knew about this before it was made public - Lunn saying that he personally didn't know is simply not good enough, obviously.
Third, there always the possibility that whomever it was that chose it chose it knowing that it resembled, and quite closely at that, the Con logo and did so for future favours. By turning a blind eye, Harper and the Con's indirectly, or possibly deliberately, encourage thing kind of thing. I am not suggesting that this actually is the case, but given the Harper approach of secretiveness, shrewdness, manipulativeness, etc.,what's a guy to think.
By the way, everyone knows that the Globe and Mail flagrantly and blindly supports the Harper government (and an election or two ago came out and proclaimed it explicitly).
The "Thumbs Down" icon at the bottom of each Comment (recommendDown.png) looks suspiciously like the Con logo - insideous!
PS - while we're on the topic of branding.
The Conservative Party is not the Progressive Conservative Party and ought not be referred to as "Tory".
Your title ought to be "Team Con, er, Team Canada" or "Con'd again!" or the like.
