The story of Ms. Parrish may not be too well known south of the 49th Parallel. She is a member of the Canadian federal Parliament which is a body of about 300 members elected from districts across Canada. She is affiliated with the Liberal Party which is the largest party but not in a majority, which has made Canadian politics more volatile. She is a nationalist and tends to the liberal side of a centrist party and has not been afraid to tell the media what she thinks of the POTUS and American foreign policy. The main opposition party is the Conservative party (in Canada we call things for what they are) and keeps making an issue about how the Liberal government expects to make nice to George W. and do bidness over lumber, mad cows (which the US has in plentiful supply although it says they only grow north of the border) and trade issues when elected officials keep saying harsh things. When President Bush called for a coalition of the willing to invade Iraq she said she did not want Canada to join a coalition of the idiots.

Brave Kelso (aka Tony Dalmyn)

While your sentiments may be in the correct place, almost all of your facts are wrong. Parrish said the "Star Wars II" proposal was about "joining the coalition of the idiots". The rest of her comments are often used out of context.

She has said US administration policies are stupid, that they behave like bastards, and so on. And like the Conservatives, the Paul Martin government has had to stock up on chapstick because they are kissing so much ass.

Great post Jim

You're right. I put the new Star Wars quote on the wrong war. My other facts are right I think.

I share some of your sentiments on this, not all. I don't like chapstick but it seems to come with the country. I think MP's are too often quiet and colourless. I don't like the abuse an elected official, speaking her mind in good faith took on the linked web site.

I don't know why the Tories get any traction on this issue. She isn't a player in Ottawa - she is on the outside. She was too close to the Chretien camp.

I don't see her as principled outsider as much as a loose cannon.

I respected Tommy Douglas's stance on the War Measures Act in 1970. He was principled. Parrish sounds like she has the chapstick on for the crowd that were on the barricades in Seattle and Quebec City.